by Julianna Bonnett
“Being true to yourself” was the theme of Amherstburg’s new winter festival, which took place on Saturday evening.
TRUE Festival, an evening to help locals be inclusive and celebrate themselves, was all the talk this Family Day weekend. This free, one-day event included a .5k cupid dash, many local vendors, axe throwing, and ‘70s music, which helped attendees get their boogie on in the streets.
The Town of Amherstburg’s Tourism and Culture Manager, Anne Rota, said the idea for the new event came about from the desire to see Amherstburg come alive again during the winter months, since during the summer, it is so busy.
“We wanted to create a fun and safe environment, where locals could come out and be who they are,” Rota said. “One of the many reasons for the event was to attract LGBTQ2 locals and visitors to the event, so they could celebrate who they are and what they mean to the community.”
The funding for the festival allocation was around $31,000, which was drawn from the $250,000 from The Canadian Experiences grant that the Town received from the Federal Economic Agency.
“It’s a nice open event we wanted to have for the winter time because we have never done anything this special before,” Mayor of Amherstburg, Aldo DiCarlo, said. “We have been in talks about doing something special after Christmas, but we had the worry that not many people would come out due to the weather, but seeing as it’s going, I can see it being a big turn out.”
With all the dancing, vendors, and live entertainment, some festival visitors also participated in a .5k dash called the ‘Cupid Dash,’ which was organized in co-operation with the Essex Region Conservation Authority.
