SPRINGSONG BANQUET TICKETS ARE NOW AVAILABLE
25th Annual Springsong Weekend– A Celebration of Birds and Birding
May 8-10, 2026
THIS EVENT IS A MAJOR FUNDRAISER FOR THE HERITAGE CENTRE THUS TICKETS WILL BE NON REFUNDABLE UNLESS GOVERNMENT RESTRICTIONS PREVENT THE EVENT FROM HAPPENING. SHOULD YOU CANCEL YOU WILL RECEIVE A CHARITABLE TAX RECEIPT FOR THE FULL AMOUNT OF THE TICKET.
Thank you!
Sincerely, Kim
A MAJOR fundraising in support of the Pelee Island Heritage Centre
Springsong Weekend – Traditionally held on Mother’s Day Weekend. It is a weekend of celebration involving books and birds. This event was started seventeen years ago as a fundraiser for The Heritage Centre with the help of Pelee Island Bird Observatory and Margaret Atwood. There is a 24 hour green “bird race” competing for the coveted Botham Cup. Margaret Atwood continues the tradition of bringing award winning authors to our island where they are introduced by her at our traditionally sold out banquet.
Guest Author: Ian Williams, much lauded Canadian poet, essayist, and novelist
Ian Williams is the author of seven acclaimed books of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. He won the Scotiabank Giller Prize for his novel Reproduction and the Raymond Souster Award from the League of Canadian Poets for Word Problems. His poetry collection, Personals, was shortlisted for the Griffin Poetry Prize and the Robert Kroetsch Poetry Book Award, while his short story collection Not Anyone’s Anything won the Danuta Gleed Literary Award.
Tim Birkhead FRS is emeritus professor of behaviour and evolution at the University of Sheffield. His research on promiscuity and sperm competition in birds re-shaped our understanding of bird mating systems. He is committed to the public understanding of science as has written several popular science books, including Promiscuity (2000), The Wisdom of Birds (2008), Bird Sense (2012) The Most Perfect Thing: the Inside (and Outside) of a Birds’ Egg (2016) and Birds and Us (2022). His children’s book What it’s like to be a Bird (2022) illustrated by Catherine Rayner, won the English Association’s Margaret Mallett Award in May 2022. His latest book is available to purchase from Waterston House, SOC Headquarters.
PAST AUTHORS
Author Celebrity Birder
2002 Margaret Atwood Kevin Seymour
2003 Farley Mowat Unveiling Stone Road Plaque
2004 Alistair MacLeod Orlando Garrido & Arturo Kirkconnell (Cuba)
2005 Jane Urquhart Bill Lishman
2006 Alice Munro Peter Matthiessen
2007 David Suzuki Fred Bodsworth
2008 Vincent Lamb Bridget Strutchbury
2009 Joseph Boyden Mystery Birder
2010 Brian Brett Robert & Birgit Freybe Bateman
2011 Nino Ricci Trevor Herriot
2012 Wayne Grady & Ian Davidson Merilyn Simonds
2013 Elizabeth Hay TBA
2014 Linden MacIntyre TBA
2015 Lawrence Hill Trevor Herriot
2016 Miriam Toews Graeme Gibson the Younger
2017 Michael Crummey Wayne Grady
2018 Madeleine Thien Sean Dooley
2019 Steve Burrows Danny Catt
2020 Lorna Crozier Trevor Herriot
2021 Louise Penny David Lindo
2022 Lorna Crozier David Lindo
2023 Randy Boyagoda Ian Davidson
2024 Helen Humphreys Rodrigo López
2025 Sarah Polley Dan Mennill
2026 Ian Williams Tim Birkhead
peleeislandhc@gmail.com
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!
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Botham Cup Bird Race
– Take part in the 24 hour “green” bird race and rally for the coveted Botham Cup. The official gong is sounded at the Heritage Centre, Friday at noon. Your team will have 24 hours to spot as many of the 314 species of birds that visit our island. Finish the day at Springsong Banquet where Margaret Atwood will give out the famous rubber chicken awards!
FIRST PLACE – DOCTORS WITHOUT BIRDERS – 92 species
David Eisenstein,
SECOND PLACE – CANADIAN DIPPER
Graeme & Sumiko – 79 species
THANK YOU TO ALL WHO ATTENDED AND TO ALL PARTICIPATING TEAMS!!!
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14th Annual Chili Cookoff – Saturday, August 9,2025 @ Pelee Island Wine Pavilion
2024 CHILI COOKOFF JUDGE’S RESULTS ARE:
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Trailer Park Boys – Matty
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Chili Chili Bang Bang – Clark & Dave
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Chill Out – Wolf & Aurella
2nd PLACE – TRAILER PARK BOYS – Matty
3rd PLACE – CHILL OUT – Wolfgang & Aurella
PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD
STONEMAN’S CHILI – BRIDGETTE ROMAN, CHUCHIE & MICHELE HAUBIEL AND MOM HAUBIEL
THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR PARTICIPATING TEAMS!!!!
Chili Cookoff – Now in the 12TH year, it is a great community gathering where teams compete for great prizes the Official Chili Cup and the People’s Choice Award. A great fundraiser for the Heritage Centre; it is drawing competitors from outside our country making the Pelee Island Southernmost Chili Cookoff a truly international event. To sign up as a contestant please contact the Heritage Centre at 519-724-2291.
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15th Annual Heritage Weekend – Friday, September 6 & Saturday, September 7, 2025
Unique Places & Spaces on Pelee Island
Itinerary to be announced by end of May
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15th Annual Harvest Dinner – Saturday, September 13, 2025
Join us at the Pelee Island Wine Pavilion for a scrumptious end of the season banquet! And don’t forget – Island Pie for dessert! Tickets are limited and are non-refundable. In the event that you cannot attend, please contact the Heritage Centre and every effort will be made to re-sell your ticket. Our last Harvest Dinner was a sold out event so save the date as this will no doubt be a very memorable evening!
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HELL ON HEELS – PELEE ISLAND OCTOBER 19, 2025
- STAY TUNED FOR 2023 TIMES/DATE
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REGISTER BY PHONE/EMAIL TO HERITAGE CENTRE
519-724-2291 OR PELEEISLANDHC@GMAIL.COM
DIG OUT YOUR HEELS & SEE YOU AT THE REGISTRATION TABLE @WESTVIEW ON RACE DAY!!!
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THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!!!