When Gladys Batten began sharing her hometown memories on the Historic Corner Brook, Newfoundland Facebook page, she had no idea that it would result in the largest event-planning undertaking of her life.
The concept of Come Home Year is not a new one, though the event happening July 19-28, will be the first specifically created for Corner Brook.
Come Home Year is a tradition in many Canadian towns, designed to counteract the outmigration away from small towns, bringing multiple generations back home to celebrate together.
The Corner Brook Come Home Year page was born in August 2017 and has been growing in numbers ever since. Today, there are over 9,500 members eagerly awaiting the festival.
“Some people said, ‘Gladys you’re too old for this, you can’t do all of this, it’s too much.’ But seeing all of the excitement building and people biting at the bit to come home was so incredible. I couldn’t let them all down,” she said.
With the help of volunteers and support from the local business community, Batten has been working to organize a celebration that is sure to please. The schedule includes everything from dances and concerts, to picnics, craft fairs, antique car shows and more.
With so many events on the schedule, Batten says almost every resort and club in the area is booked for at least one event. Local restaurants are also preparing and looking forward to greeting old friends.
Byron White, general manager of Jungle Jim’s Corner Brook, says his staff keeps an eye on local events and activities to make sure they’re always prepared.
“When things like this come to town, I’m sure all of the local restaurants get their share of extra business,” said White. “We’ll have additional staff on hand to welcome everyone during Come Home Year.”
The ferry service is looking at running a load-and-go based schedule to accommodate higher numbers of transit users if necessary.
As the festival nears, Batten is hopeful more volunteers will come on board to make the celebration a success.
“We have the cake all done and baked, now we just need the icing to complete the job,” said Batten. “The volunteers will be the icing to help make my dreams come true.”
*** Edited March 20. The original version of this story contained information on hotel bookings that was not verified and has been eliminated from the story. The Western Star apologizes for this error.