OYEZ!! OYEZ!! OYEZ!!
M’Ladies and M’Lords…it is my pleasure and honour to welcome all 63
Town Criers and 36 Escorts, from 7 countries, who will compete at this years 8th
World Championship. I invite you to visit our web site for a complete list of all
competitors. We are busy planning and preparing and are amazed at how much has,
once again, been accomplished in such a short time. An almost final schedule is
enclosed – final copy including an Official Criers Guidebook will be presented
to you when you arrive in Sidney. The Billet Team will again personally meet
you when you arrive at the Victoria Int’l Airport or Vancouver Island Ferry
Terminal at Swartz Bay.
Rev. Steve Hershey, and I, invite interested criers to join us again at
the Sunday service preceding the competition – St. Paul’s United Church,
10:00am. Other churches will be listed in your guidebook, along with other
important community information and location of services.
I am a member of the Sidney-by-the-Sea Rotary Club and invite visiting
Rotarians or any one else to join me at our breakfast meetings, at the Glenn
Meadows Golf Club, each Thursday morning at 7am. We also have a Kiwanis Club
and Lions Club and branches of most other International Organizations for you
to attend. Both the Army, Navy, Airforce Veterans and the Royal Canadian Legion
have lounges open daily and welcome veterans and associates.
Don’t forget to book your airline flight all the way through to the Victoria Airport…the Vancouver
airport is not where you want to end up
.
Remember to bring something appropriate for the Hobo Banquet if room in
your suitcase permits!! I look forward to greeting everyone in August…safe
journey to all.
Bert Stevens
Host Crier
8th World Town
Criers Championship
Schedule of Events
Opening Ceremonies
7:00pm
Sidney Bandstand – at the
foot of Beacon Ave.
(criers
and escorts please arrive by 6:30pm)
A parade will follow to
Sanscha Hall for a Civic Reception
Transportation will be available for those criers unable to walk.
First Cry – Home Town
Greeting
10:00am
Sidney Bandstand – at the
foot of Beacon Ave.
Native Salmon Barbecue
Dinner – at the Bandstand
5:00pm
A traditional Native Feast with Entertainment
Hobo Banquet
6:00pm
Hosted by Youth Unlimited
& held at the Historical Artifacts
Train rides, games, prizes
for best Hobo costumes!!!
Second Cry – Re-Enactment
Cry
10:00am
Sidney Bandstand – at the
foot of Beacon Ave.
Sidney Business Association
‘Street Faire’
5:00pm to 8:00pm
Sidney by the Sea Rotary
Club Dinner at B.C. Aviation Museum
7:00pm
Open Day for touring, etc.
Steak Barbecue and Casino Night
at Royal Canadian Legion
7:00pm
Final Cry – Business Cry
10:00am
Dinner around town sponsored
by various local restaurants
Talent Show
7:00pm
Sanscha Hall
Awards Brunch
9:30am
Sanscha Hall
(Gift exchange 9:30 to
10:30; brunch 10:30 to 12:00; Awards at Noon)
1:00pm
1:30pm
Sidney Bandstand – at the
foot of Beacon Ave.
Bandstand Matinees – a
weekly community musical event
2:00pm
The three cries shall be as follows:
1st Cry
-‘Home Town/Welcome Cry’, describing
why a citizen of our community might want to visit your hometown and an opportunity
for you to bring greetings from your community to ours.
2nd Cry
– ‘Re-Enactment Cry’ – similar to
that which may have been done by a crier in your community in the 1700’s. If
your community didn’t have a crier back then, make believe they did!!
3rd Cry
– ‘Local Business Cry’ – when you
arrive here, your Welcome Kit will contain the name and contact information for
a local business. You will make contact and write an advertisement for that
business. Full details will be supplied upon arrival.
All cries are to be no less than 75 words and no more than 100, including the OYEZ’s and
the Loyalty Greeting. The three Oyez’s will count as one word the ‘Loyalty
Greeting’ will also count as one word as will all community names (e.g. - City
of London) and all dates whether numbered (August 16, 1999) or written (the 16th
day of August in the year of our Lord one thousand, nine hundred and ninety
nine.
A copy of your first two cries must be forwarded to this office
by August 10, 1999. Points will be deducted for cries in excess of the maximum
number of words…said points to be deducted on a daily basis. Deduction will be
a five-point penalty and one
point per word.
A
typing service will be available at the Chamber of Commerce office for Business
Cries, if you need it, until Thursday August 19 at 4:30pm. The deadline for
submitting this final cry will be Friday, August 20th at noon.
The Awards
The competition awards are designed and produced, once again, by Mr. Charles Elliott of the Coast Salish Nation. Charles is well known as a West Coast native artist and carver and his works are in private collections around the world.
1st Place – 4’ Carved Talking Stick (valued at $1500.00)
2nd Place – Painted Native Drum (valued at $650.00)
3rd Place – Limited Edition Print (valued at $250.00
4th to 10th Place – 1’ Carved & Mounted Talking Stick (valued at $150.00 ea.)
Best Dressed/Most Authentic – limited edition print (valued at $250.00)
AHGTC Host
Mandate & Obligations
The
following is a summary of the mandate that the Ancient and Honourable Guild has
instructed us to adhere to and is the same as 1997;
- accommodation for crier and escort on a B&B basis.
- one additional meal per day which shall be a hot meal (i.e. dinner)
- basic transportation, being delivery to
the first official event of the day and pick up after the last official event
of the day. This does not include pick up after a late
night of carousing!!
When
you arrive you will be given a handbook and competition guide, which will contain
numerous discount and half price coupons for other meals and entertainment.
Billet Information
You are billeted to stay with:
Please
call (area code is 250) and let them
know your travel arrangements and where you will be staying prior to checking
in with them, if you are arriving before August 16th.
Also,
please phone, fax or e-mail us the following ASAP:
Date of Arrival
in Sidney: __________________________________
Time of Arrival: ____________________________ AM: ___ PM: ___
Airline (or Ferry): ________________________________________
Flight Number: ___________________________________________
Confirmed
reservations at:
___________________________________
-AND-
If you are in the Talent Show and require Props PLEASE list exactly what you would like:
_________________________________________________________
Well that’s pretty much it for now. Time is flying and preparations are being made and soon we will be once again saying….