“There’s nothing to do in Chatham-Kent.”
That’s about as big a fib as councillors saying they didn’t have much information on the waste-to-energy project. But that is to be saved for another day.
As for things to do in Chatham-Kent, we remind folks that once the snow melts. There are multiple interesting events going on most weekend across Chatham-Kent.
What we will focus on this time is the Taste of Chatham-Kent, or T.O.C.K. A replacement for the Festival of Nations, T.O.C.K. marks the evolution in multicultural celebrations for this municipality. For starters, it’s not purely driven by municipal personnel. Instead, the Adult Language and Learning Centre is a key partner, as well as the Taste of Chatham-Kent committee, with the municipality along for support.
Rather than have one busy weekend in Tecumseh Park, T.O.C.K. will run for an entire month – and at the preferred site of ethnic-oriented businesses and cultural associations.
The goal here is to allow these groups and businesses to maximize their resources and thus max out their opportunity to showcase their culture, be it food, music, dancing, or storytelling.
And each organization hosts it where they want. For a restaurant, such as Yardy Vibez, which is involved with its Jamaican culture, it will host an event in the parking lot right in front of its St. Clair Street location.
Not everything will take place in Chatham either, as this is a Chatham-Kent event, designed to bring people of all cultures together at different points in the municipality to celebrate participating groups.
T.O.C.K. runs from June 27 to July 26. There is still time for organizations to sign up and possibly get a grant to help boost their event.
With more than 70 different languages spoken in C-K, we are certainly culturally diverse. And the more we know about our neighbours, the better it is for mutual understanding.
We should not live in silos, but instead experience diversity, thus opening our eyes to a better understanding of people who look or talk differently than we do. Learn what they love and perhaps you’ll love it too.
Plus every single T.O.C.K. is free to attend. Food served will cost visitors, but the events won’t put a dent in your pocketbook.
