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On Friday, July 25th, an evening of celebration will mark
Southampton's incorporation that took place in 1858.
The evening will begin at the foot of High Street, at the flag, at 6:30
p.m. when Town Crier, Neil Menage, delivers a proclamation, following
which he and piper, Michael Smith, will lead a parade up High Street to
the Town Hall. There, a re-enactment play will be held written by
playwright, Deanna Underwood. She has recreated the birth of
Southampton from the actual minutes of 1858 council meetings as the
fledgling village council struggled to bring order to a pioneer
settlement.
The play itself will begin at 7:00 p.m., followed by the presentation of
an historical plaque marking the location of the first village council
meeting. The commemorative plaque will, eventually, be mounted at the
Schendel and Sullivan store on High Street, marking the spot where the
first Village Council met.
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(continued) The plaque reads ...
Southampton, Ontario incorporated as a village, July 24, 1858. Here stood the British Exchange Hotel, where the village council first met,
Aug. 26, 1858:
James Calder (reeve), James Conaway,
George Jardine, Peter McGregor,
Alexander McNabb;
Clerk, John Eastwood.
The evening will then conclude with a reception at the Bruce County
Museum and Cultural Centre, just a short walk from the Town Hall. There,
guests will be entertained by the Saugeen First Nation Drummers and
Dancers, and guitarist Chris Yenny.
All are welcome to participate in the evening's events
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