Carters aim to take Wingham Homecoming in a new direction this year
BY SCOTT STEPHENSON
When Joe Carter and his wife, Heidi, decided to take on the job of spearheading Wingham’s 2024 Homecoming, they only had one goal - to celebrate all that is wonderful about Joe’s hometown, its history and the people who live there.
The Carters were kind enough to take the time to sit down with The Citizen at Heidi’s chic salon on Josephine Street for a quick conversation about what Wingham means to them, and why they believe that a well-organized community effort is the key to revitalizing a beloved local tradition.
Joe inherited his love of his hometown from his father, Don, who was also born and raised in Wingham. “If you look through the alley across the street, where MacIntyre’s Bakery used to be, and look up the little hill, you’ll see where Mama and Papa Carter lived - just right over there. My dad was a local garbage man for 30-some-odd years, and the mayor from 1996 to 2003. He was a Kinsman, a member of the Snowmobile Club - you name it.”
There’s a lot to love about this little town, but Joe’s favourite thing about Wingham has always been the same - the smell of fresh bread. “When I was growing up, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, when you walked out the door, all you would smell [was] donuts and bread.” MacIntyre’s may have closed years ago, but he can still pick up the scent when he’s downtown. “Walking down towards Foodland or The Independent, you can still smell fresh bread, because they still bake bread there. That’s my favourite thing about Wingham.”
Joe may wear his hometown love on his sleeve, but he credits Heidi with the idea to take on Homecoming. “When the original committee disbanded, she said ‘hey, we should organize Homecoming!’” Being a transplant from Listowel, Heidi brings a bit of an outside perspective to the table. “I just thought it would be a great opportunity to meet people from town, and to kind of bring about community - that’s what I’m all about! The way we’re going about it isn’t traditional - I’ve never organized a Homecoming, or even been to one. I don’t know what it’s ‘supposed’ to be.”
Previous Homecoming committees have done all the planning themselves, but the Carters felt that bringing in the most townspeople possible would create an event with a little something for everyone. Business owners and members of the community were all invited to play to their strengths, take on their own little slice of the planning pie, and make it happen. The Carters hope that Homecoming will give a boost to local businesses, and really showcase what makes Wingham unique.
“Because we are on a one-year time crunch, we decided against restarting a new committee where you have to meet and vote and approve everything”, Joe explained, “it’s just kind of easier to say ‘who wants to do what?’ Growing up here, I knew that Homecoming generally had a big old beer tent, and all the bands and all the activities were under the big beer tent, and it would bring everybody to that one area.” While beer will certainly be a part of the 2024 Homecoming, the Carters also saw a chance for the whole community to give itself a boost by spreading the festivities all over town, from the Wescast Community Complex to the Legion to Cruickshank Park and beyond.
Inviting others to each plan their own part of the party has led to a great variety of things to do for people of all ages. There will be bands playing at multiple locations throughout the weekend, including Huron County crowd-pleasers The Lucky Charms and Kincardine’s Boiler Beach. The organizers of Wingham’s beloved Musical Muskrat Festival have decided that this year, instead of holding their own stand-alone event, that they would incorporate their family-friendly activities into Homecoming by holding a mini-Muskrat celebration in Cruickshank Park. Restaurant owners are also getting in on the fun. The Riverview Local Eatery will be hosting the opening ceremonies, and Castings Public House owner Danielle Sutton has decided to put on a lip-sync contest. Local experts will be giving educational talks about topics near and dear to the town, from the history of rural train travel to Nobel Prize winner Alice Munro, who just passed away earlier this week. The Wingham Golf and Curling Club has chosen to host a golf tournament for all of the Wescast employees, former and current. There will also be a Pokemon-themed parade put on by the Lions Club, an inflatable obstacle course, and on Saturday, the Belgrave Kinsmen are hosting a dance. The list goes on - inclusivity is the name of the game when it comes to this community-wide project. “Participation makes a great event,” Joe explained. “It’s all really falling into place,” Heidi added.
Also featured at this year’s Homecoming will be Wingham’s longtime unofficial mascot - the flying pig, or winged ham, if you will. Wingham’s winged ham has become something of an endangered species in recent times, but the Carters hope to make 2024 the “Year of the Pig” by selling merch featuring the mythical beast. “For me, it’s all about Little Joey Carter going into the Town Hall when dad was a councillor, and seeing on the wall - a flying pig. Forever, it was Wing-ham: Home of the Flying Pig. I don’t know who knows what it’s really all about, but it was our thing.” When Heidi took over her storefront a few years ago, she even found a tole painted totem of one of the noble beasts in the basement.
The Carters may have an unorthodox approach to party planning, but they have faith in their process, because they believe in the power of the people of Wingham. “It’s a small town where people want to do activities,” Joe explained. You start with one phone call to one person that you’ve known forever, and then all of a sudden, you’ve got your opening ceremonies at the local restaurant, and they’re taking care of the music. You talk to your neighbour, who’s part of the golf course, and they set you up with the other golf course. And then you’ve got 18 other activities. Everybody knows everybody - in a good way! We’re not the planners, we’re just the facilitators. Everybody else involved deserves the big thank you!”
Wingham Homecoming will be taking place all over town from June 27 to July 1. Come on out, join the party, and remember what home really means.