D
espite a mid-summer industrial
fire that caused tens of millions of
dollars in damage and temporary
unemployment for hundreds, you can’t
stop the Town of Tecumseh from
throwing a party; it’s full speed ahead for
the 39th annual Corn Fest, one of
Ontario’s top summer festivals. But what
else can you expect from the 2014 Best
Festival City (under 200,000) in the
province?
From just three families in 1792, the
Town of Tecumseh has grown and
flourished in its own right, in spite of its
cheek-by-jowl location to the City of
Windsor. Named Tecumseh in 1912, the
community, after reorganization in 1999,
officially includes the Village of St. Clair
Beach and former Township of Sandwich
South as well. But however blurred the
line may become for commuters and
visitors, the town of 24,000 retains its
own unique spirit and flavour.
“The jewel in our community is our
volunteer base, especially through our
service clubs,” says town councillor Joe
Bachetti. Bachetti has served on council
for twenty years, and also sits on the Corn
Fest committee. In addition, he’s had a
ringside seat to families’ experiences, as a
teacher and principal in Tecumseh and
Lakeshore. “Our festivals, our charity
runs – especially the Terry Fox Run – take
hundreds of volunteers to make them
work. Groups like Kiwanis, the Optimist
Club and others are incredibly active and
supportive.”
Bachetti, who’s running for Deputy
Mayor this fall, is definitely a town
booster. “Our town services, our property
tax rates – some of the lowest in the area
– we’re very proud of what we have to
offer.”
Paul Bistany, whose Bistany Realty
office has been located in Tecumseh for
28 years, echoes those thoughts. Buyers
seek property in Tecumseh, he says,
because “the amenities the town offers
and the low taxes appeal to almost every
demographic.” Sharing the region’s low
property prices, it’s an attractive
destination for area residents making a
lateral move or people coming from out of
town.
“Sales are much stronger than they
were, they’ve really been growing this last
two years.”
Jennifer Westfall doesn’t need
convincing. In spite of working as a
medical professional in the U.S. she
settled in Tecumseh five months ago. “I
love that it’s a small town, and near the
water,” she says. “ The commute is
challenging, but worth it.”
For those on both sides of the town
boundaries, it’s impossible to think of
Tecumseh without thinking of the Corn
Fest, held every August.
“It started unofficially,” says Deputy
Mayor Cheryl Hardcastle. “Town residents
would gather at Lacasse Park, usually the
weekend before Labour Day weekend, to
enjoy the corn at the height of the season
and basically embrace the last of the
summer together. In 1975, it was
formalized as the Tecumseh Corn
Festival, and has never wavered.”
Hardcastle credits the town and those
community organizations Bachetti
mentioned and their continued support.