Chatham-Kent is buzzing after one of the biggest festival weekends in recent memory. 
Tens of thousands of people took part in the RM 40th anniversary and RetroFest festivities in Chatham and Blenheim, not to mention the Thamesville Threshing Festival, Pain Court tractor pull, and Erieau car show.
Mayor Darrin Canniff says events like these are breathing new life into the municipality.
“It revitalizes it, it’s a great way to get out, but it just shows that we need as many events like this as possible to get people out as part of the community,” Canniff says. “I want to see a lot more of these in the years to come, we’re going to have a lot more bands playing.”
With various celebrities in town, including Kid Rock, the Sam Roberts Band, and master car restorer Wayne Carini, Canniff says Chatham-Kent was seen at its finest.
“When I spoke with Wayne Carini, he’s talking about how fabulous this community is, he said that’s what he loves about it, it’s the down-to-earth people that are here. People are starting to talk about Chatham-Kent, saying this is a place you want to come and visit.”
The RM/RetroFest events raised money for the Chatham-Kent Hospice, Chatham-Kent Health Alliance Foundation, and Children’s Treatment Centre, although officials are still tallying up the proceeds.
