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TURTLEFEST RECAP PAGE
28-29
Tillsonburg POST
JUNE 25, 2026
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VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 38
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Public input approved for new sports fields JEFF HELSDON Editor
(JEFF HELSDON PHOTO)
A RECORD-BREAKING TURTLEFEST
TurtleFest broke records on many fronts this year, including the size of the crowd, which was estimated to be as high as 45,000 to 50,000. The two-day event started on Friday at Annandale House and continued on Saturday in the downtown, and again at Annandale House.
TurtleFest draws record crowd JEFF HELSDON
Editor
By all accounts, this year’s TurtleFest was a record breaker. While official attendance numbers are a few weeks off, TurtleFest chair Mark Renaud estimated the crowd at 45,000 to 50,000 people. The official numbers will be based on cell phone ping data from within a geofence set up by Environics in the downtown BIA area. The company has similar geofences set up in BIA districts across the country. “They don’t know who, but they know the phone was there, and
there most of the day,” Renaud explained of the process. It can also reveal demographics of the attendees. TurtleFest coordinator Terry Fraser noted that last year the street crowd thinned by 3:30 or 4 p.m., but this year the street was still busy at that time. Committee member Vanessa Fortner, who was on the ground for the BIA the entire day, agreed. “The past three years, what we see is it gets busy from noon to three o’clock, and then slows down,” she said. “This year, all the way from 11 a.m. to 5:45 when it started raining, it was just a sea of people.” CONTINUED TO PAGE 28
Brandon Koppert **
Dane Willson **
Council gave the go-ahead to town staff to start a public engagement process on a proposal to relocate the four Annandale ball diamonds to new town land on Mall Road. The proposal would also include selling the property where the diamonds are currently located for residential development, with more green space than other developments. Proceeds from the sale would be used to offset the purchase price of the Mall Road property and diamond development. The motion passed by council was to proceed with the public input process to relocate the diamonds to 67 Mall Road. This would include consulting with members of all town committees, user groups, and hosting two public information sessions. The development is in the consultation phase, and is not moving ahead yet. A report from Development Commissioner Cephas Panschow stated that, during the 2022 campaign trail, council members heard that more green space and recreational amenities were needed in town. When the property on Mall Road, which is in Norfolk County, became available, it was seen as an opportunity to expand recreational facilities. The town purchased the 36-acre property for $6.2 million in April 2024. A consultant was hired to complete the plans for what was known as Project Big Swing. The first phase of the development would have four softball diamonds, with lights. With more parking than the present facility, Panschow told council it would open up possibilities for hosting tournaments, which would bring revenue to town. A second phase could add additional soccer fields to the development, but is not finalized, as is the case with the third phase. A walking track would be built around the perimeter of the property, which is behind the cemetery.
Linda Crystal Coldham ** Ketchabaw *
Rob Koppert Broker of Record/Owner
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David Bennett **
Bob Arppe *
Samantha Hamilton *
Scott Hamilton *
Taylor Thoonen *
Grant Sumler *
Realty Team ONE
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Derrek de Jonge *
Eva Krahn *
Deepanshu Pal *
Jennifer Dalley *
Samuel Koppert *
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