They came for a cup of tea and a visit with old friends.
More than 120 people crowded into Clinton Memorial Hall last Friday for the annual Oldtimers’ Tea, the traditional precursor to the village’s rodeo weekend. Many of them were regulars, like Helen Cade, who had come almost every year since 1956.
“They come here to visit old friends, that’s the whole idea,” said Cade, 90, who was visiting with her friends Lil Munro and Jocelyn Cahill. “It’s in honour of the oldtimers, and for new people to meet the oldtimers. There’s a lot of new people here I don’t know.”
Organizer Melissa Painter said she had expected a good turnout but was surprised to see just how many people showed up. Extra tables had to be added to accommodate all the visitors, while servers were scrambling to make enough tea.
“I knew it would be pretty big this year but I wasn’t expecting quite this many people,” Painter said. “It’s nice to get people out.”
Clinton Mayor Susan Swan said the turnout is indicative of people’s desire to get out and socialize after two years of the pandemic.
“It was really well attended and great to see everyone out again,” she said. “People haven’t been able to visit for so long. It’s great to see.”
Local resident Alan Bolster said it was good to catch up with everyone.
“One time we used to come here because we wanted to visit the old folks, now we are the old folks,” he said. “It’s great because people can only get together once a year. They come from far and wide for this. It’s a great social thing.”
kelly.sinoski@100milefreepress.net
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