Homecoming hits all the right notes as Mitchell marks 150 years (2024)

During the closing ceremonies of the 1999 Mitchell Homecoming, steering committee member Doug Feltz made it known he’d chair the next event in 2024.

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He lived up to his word, acting as co-chair of the steering committee this time around as Mitchell marked 150 years as a town and 26 years as part of the amalgamated municipality of West Perth.

Less than 48 hours after the overwhelmingly successful event was cleaned up, Feltz said there was no way he’d be involved in 2049, Mitchell’s next milestone year. He’d be 86 years old, “and you’d be wheeling me in with the beer kegs,” he joked.

Regardless, Homecoming — held July 31 to Aug. 4 in and around Keterson Park — was, based on overall attendance, the variety of activities planned and led by a diligent group of volunteers and, of course, the picture-perfect weather, a tremendous success.

“As I said at the initial meeting, this is a legacy event,” Feltz said. “This happens every 25 years and. if you’re lucky, you see three of them. One as a kid, another when you’re old enough to participate, and again when you’re a senior that you either participate or just attend. It wasn’t perfect. If we had to do it again next year, we would tweak some stuff but, fortunately, we’re not doing the 151st.”

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From free swims at the Lions Pool to teddy bear picnics to sunset yoga to beach volleyball to plenty of food and drink, the week-long event saw people of all ages come home and, well, party. Feltz said a map was placed in downtown Mitchell during the opening night of July 31, asking people to place a pin where they came from, and placements from coast to coast and across the U.S. were common, as well as a few extreme outposts.

“Our whole goal was for people to come home,” he said. “We had people from the east and west coasts, across the United States, and a pin from Russia. So, you can literally say people from all over the world attended.”

High school class reunions and sports team get-togethers popped up that the steering committee had no knowledge of, but that was great, said Feltz, calling Homecoming a perfect occasion to do so. A successful “Born in the ’50s” social was held at the Mitchell Legion branch Aug. 3, and tours of the former Mitchell public school — now home to the Upper Thames Missionary Church — saw an estimated 400 people pass through in two hours that same day, 10 times more than what officials expected.

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“Overall, I think people were happy with everything,” said Feltz, admitting afterwards it felt like he’d had 100 pounds lifted off his back once it was over.

Activity at the pool began Homecoming, but the run of five action-packed days started on July 31 with a golf tournament attended by 100 duffers, a teddy bear picnic in the Lions Park and a downtown BIA Street Party that closed the main street and included a brief opening ceremony. Approximately 1,500 people wandered downtown enjoying a wide variety of children’s games and activities, as well as a chance to meet and mingle, and that’s what people did.

The Clinton Pipe & Drums Band paraded the steering committee and various dignitaries to the opening, which saw co-chair Feltz, Perth-Wellington MP John Nater and MPP Matthew Rae, Perth County Warden Rhonda Ehgoetz and West Perth Mayor Walter McKenzie all offering brief words of welcome.

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Adult and children’s sports continued Aug. 1 with a six-team pickleball tournament and a 10-team two-division youth 3-on-3 basketball tournament played under high humidity and bright sun at the outdoor Mitchell District high school courts.

Rain dampened some of the family fun on Aug. 2, but volunteers just moved things indoors, which didn’t deter youngsters from attending. Roughly 500 went to the Crystal Palace for the fun afternoon in conjunction with the library and Perth Care for Kids. The Optimist Club’s Youth Safety on Wheels event was moved indoors to the arena ice pad, and although attendance was down somewhat, organizers were still happy with the turnout.

The river walk/run saw people from age nine to 74 participate, followed by another dozen or so relaxing with sunset yoga. A 16-team beach volleyball tournament began Aug. 2 and continued most of the following day in a make-shift court behind the arena, while a full house of 750 people enjoyed the Pub Night with craft beers in the pavilion before the scene shifted to a DJ night under the hospitality tent. courtesy of Dustin Smith, that exceeded 1,100, organizers said.

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The popular West Perth Fire Department breakfast saw 650 people fed Aug. 3, while a number of youngsters sped down the north hill on William Street beside the cemetery during the soap box derby that ran quickly and efficiently. A car and motorcycle show was a smashing success, as more than 225 vehicles crammed into Keterson Park for much of the day. The evening culminated with a performance by Bradley Hale and then The Hip Experience, which sold out at 1,300 people by mid-afternoon.

On Aug. 4, a 15-team Texas horseshoe afternoon tournament with four or five games going simultaneously was popular in the shade of the pavilion. All day, eight teams participated on two diamonds in a co-ed 3-pitch tournament that led to the Jabe & The Backstabbers cover band performance to cap things off that evening.

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“I compare it to a movie,” Feltz said. “You roll the credits and the gripper’s name nobody pays attention to but, without that gripper, the movie would never happen. That’s our volunteers and the committee that we have behind the scenes. Phil (O’Donnell)and I were the face as co-chairs and everybody thanked us, but we just directed the movie.”

Calling the volunteers “the unsung heroes of this whole event,” Feltz said people just came out and got involved. He said he wishes there were more of them, but when the crunch was on and volunteers were needed for various things, they came out in full force. The official committee members were also thanked profusely.

“They’re unpaid volunteers that have lives and families and other commitments that gave up their time for the last 18 months to try and get this through. . . . I don’t think they got near enough credit or thank-yous for the work they did.”

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Feltz also gave high praise for West Perth’s community outreach co-ordinator, Lindsay Wagg, for her work behind the scenes looking after social media, as well as all the municipal parks staff for the yeoman’s service they did all weekend.

With invoices still being collected, it will take another two or three weeks to balance things financially, but Feltz said the sponsorship committee gave everyone a great head start long before any event took place, making it a successful celebration like others that preceded it in Mitchell’s illustrious history in 1950, 1974 and 1999.

“It didn’t matter if they gave $150 or $10,000, all of it was greatly appreciated. It was a great fundraiser,” he said, “and something that a lot of people will always remember.”

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