After leaving southern Ontario and moving to the township of Conmee, Betty Flemying says she wouldn’t move to bigger city for anything.
Flemying and her husband, Bill have lived in the community of roughly 800 people for the past 30 years. Flemying, a great grandmother, moved from southern Ontario and found that she enjoyed the smaller sized community compared to the bigger city.
“I’m originally from Hamilton, Ont. and when I first moved out here I just loved it,” she said. “At first I felt it was too small but when you meet the people everything comes together. The people were friendly, they have just such a nice community, and the community spirit is really great. I love it here. I wouldn’t go back to a big city life for anything.”
She said she enjoys the history that comes with living in Conmee. The area was heavily used during the fur-trading era as a means to transport goods. Over the years, families ended up living in the area and eventually the township of Conmee was formed.
Both she and her husband attended the 100th anniversary of the township at the Community Centre on Saturday. They both said they were pleased to be able to celebrate the township’s centennial.
Conmee mayor Kevin Holland said the family fun day on Saturday was the second event in a series of activities to celebrate the anniversary. The first celebration happened on New Year’s when the township officially turned 100-years-old.
Another event is expected to take place on Canada Day.
Holland explained that the township formed when a number of people banded together to create a self-government with the goal of controlling their area.
The mayor believes that townships main attraction is its location as it is close to Thunder Bay. More young professionals are moving into the area and most are used to a long commute anyways, he said.
“There’s a lot of fresh air and there’s a sense of community here and that’s what we’re trying to reestablish with the 100th anniversary celebrations,” he said.
“We’re finding we’re having a lot of young families move into the township. The last census shows that the township age has decreased but the population has increased the most compared to the other areas.”
The festivities wrap up around 8 p.m.