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Hermon Hornet Fest success

June 9, 2016

Children line up to get their faces painted during Hermon Public Schools Hornet Fest at the Mayo Community Centre on June 3.

By Jim Eadie

Nearly 200 people gathered for food and fun at the Mayo Community Centre on Friday evening June 3 for the Hornet Fest fundraiser arranged by the Hermon Public School parent council.

The sports fields were busy with baseball and other physical activity, and the hall offered food, games, prizes, a silent auction, and face painting to name a few attractions. Outside the hall, kids and their parents could meet the OPP officer, check out his police car, and throw pitches at the police radar. MNR Conservation officer and dog handler Colin Cotnam provided an impressive demonstration of the work that can be performed with the help of his dogs detecting fish or other possibly illegally hidden wildlife. The Faraday Township Fire Department provided their fire truck along with Sparky the fire safety dog.

“The parent council is raising money for new playground equipment,” said parent Trisha Stewart. “The new equipment will cost about $20,000 and we have raised about half of that already. The community has been really supportive with donations.” Following the event, parent council chairperson Mandy White could not provide a final tally by press time, but said that the total raised was in the neighbourhood of $4,000.

Putting a damper on the evening is the news that the public school board has suggested in their new Draft Long-Term Capital and Accommodation Plan that Hermon School be closed and the students bused to Bancroft.