In the spring of 1916, over a thousand young men from across the Kawartha Lakes answered the call to serve their King and country in the war to end all wars. Some were just teenagers, and would join area nursing sisters serving overseas to treat the wounded. Hundreds would die brutally in battles, never to come home again to the Kawarthas. On the 13th and 14th of May, 2016, the Victoria County His
torical Society, together with a number of community partners, presents Where Duty Leads: Waving Off ‘The 109th,’ marking the one-hundredth anniversary of when the 109th Battalion of Victoria and Haliburton Counties gathered in Lindsay before departing by train for war. A farewell concert in the Academy Theatre was enjoyed by citizens and soldiers alike, a big banquet organized for ‘The 109th’ was consumed in a local hotel, and a parade along Kent Street was witnessed by thousands. Where Duty Leads: Waving Off ‘The 109th’ seeks to commemorate this important occasion in our community’s history through a number of special events.
• The weekend will begin with a Commemorative Dinner at the Victoria Park Armoury on Friday 13 May. Doors will open at 6:30 PM, with dinner starting at 7:30. Based on the menu used for the Battalion banquet in 1916, the meal promises to be a one-of-a-kind occasion. Entertainment will be provided by Soldiers of Song, an energetic group of musicians and storytellers paying tribute to The Dumbells, who entertained Canadian soldiers at home and abroad during the First World War.
• Tickets for the dinner cost $50 per person, and $100 per couple if purchased prior to April 15, after which they will cost $60 per person.
• At 2:00 PM on Saturday 14 May, citizens are invited to gather in downtown Lindsay for a Parade. Beginning beside Central Senior School, the parade will proceed east along Kent Street, stopping at Victoria Park for a re-creation of the 1916 flag presentation. The parade will conclude with a departure ceremony in the former CN/CP rail yard on Queen Street, from which troops departed a hundred years ago.
• The parade will feature the Concert Band of Cobourg, the Lindsay Pipes & Drums, vintage vehicles, and local cadet corps and veterans.
• Where Duty Leads: Waving Off The 109th will conclude on Saturday May 14 at 7:30 PM with a magnificent Farewell Concert in the Academy Theatre featuring the Kawartha Male Chorus, the Meringer Big Band, area singers/musicians, and the talented drama students from I.E. Weldon Secondary School. Doors open at 6:15/6:30.
• Tickets for the Farwell Concert cost $10 per person and proceeds will go towards the Academy Theatre Foundation.
