J.D. Potié
BRYSON July 13, 2019
On July 13, over a hundred Pontiac residents gathered at the Bryson R.A. for a series of outdoor activities, good food and great company during the town’s fifth annual Community Day celebration.
Hosted by the Bryson Revitalization Committee, the event served as an opportunity for locals to enjoy the day with friends, family and fun while raising funds for the R.A.’s future activities.
Drawing plenty of people from the town and beyond, the event is always a great way to raise money for the community while providing locals with something in town worth celebrating, according to the event’s main organizer Joanne Ralston.
With plenty of activities for kids to choose from, the big bouncy castle proved itself a popular spot throughout the event attracting plenty of crowds to hop in and enjoy the fun.
Plus, children were invited to check out a couple of police cruisers and motorcycles and get a first-hand glimpse of how the special machines really work, which left the wide-eyed little ones feeling like authentic police officers.
Providing the on-stage entertainment throughout the day was local folk group Garry and Friends playing a string of classic cover songs, including Heart of Gold by Neil Young.
In the afternoon, a few events stole most of the attention, including the chocolate chip cookie eating contest which had four contestants battling-it out for dough-devouring supremacy, a colourful bicycle parade for kids and a 3-pitch softball game between the Golden G’s and Dribble While Running.
With everyone packing the stands for the matchup, the players were determined to put on an impressive performance in front of their neighbours and relatives.
Despite a hard-fought battle from Dribble While Running, the Golden G’s proved themselves as the best team, winning the game by a final score of 13 to 9.
MVP’s for respective teams were Gerald Stewart for the Golden G’s and Dave Miljour for the Dribble While Running.
Winning the chocolate chip eating contest was Noella Barré who beat out Rose-Marie Lance, Therese Lance and the Bryson R.A. for bragging rights.
Celebrating 50 years of the R.A.’s existence in the community, large amounts of participants gathered underneath one of the shelters to feast on some delicious cake before heading to the baseball diamond for the big game.
Following the game, flocks of people migrated behind the field to get the best possible view of the spirited firework display put on by local resident Andre Newberry.
Following the parade, Ralston took the main stage and issued a speech thanking everyone who attended and contributed to the event, the importance of the R.A. in the community and appreciation of its history in the town.
A number of food and drink vendors were on site, including several volunteers cooking up hot dogs and burgers on the barbecue, some raffling off 50/50 tickets and others selling beverages from the bar.
For Ralston, the event just like the revitalization committees’ numerous other initiatives, is very important for the community when it comes to keeping its younger population thriving.
“It’s giving us a better balance of how we want to get organized for the future,” she said. “We have a lot more kids coming back in town. At one point, there were no more kids on Main Street. But we have a lot of young parents who moved back and now they have young kids.”
Most of the food on hand was provided by the Revitalization Committee, except for the chocolate chip cookies, which were prepared by each participant respectively, Ralston said.
