Horse pull at Queens County Fair. File photo: Doreen Holdright

Eleven community groups have been granted more than $62,000 from the Region of Queens community investment fund.

Non-profit groups from Queens County can apply to the $175,000 fund each year to help offset operational, capital, event, training or travel expenses.

The groups approved for $62,216 in operational funding this week represent only the first stage of grants from the fund. Steve Burns, the region’s community economic development officer, told council that they were time-sensitive.

Any requests from the community investment fund higher than $1,000 have to be approved by council.

Burns said council will be asked to vote on more funding requests now that their 2025-26 budget is approved.

Groups can apply to three different streams for operational funding: up to $10,000 annually if they own their own facility or are in a long-term lease and their programs or services are well-established and open to the general public; up to $5,000 to help community organizations that offer year-round programs or services to Queens County residents and up to $1,000 for groups that offer new, expanded or seasonal programs.

Community groups must submit financial statements, including their current bank balance, what the money will be used for and any other funding sources.

Here is a rundown of what each group received:

• CJQC Radio Society, which operates QCCR, for eligible operating expenses up to $5,000
• South Shore Flying Club up to $6,047
• Friends of Hank Snow Society up to $10,000
• Medway & Area Heritage Society up to $2,267.50
• South Queens Chamber of Commerce up to $3,750
• Mersey Band Society up to $3,121
• Milton Canoe & Camera Club up to $2,030.50
• Carroll Baker Society up to $5,000
• Queens County Fair Association up to $10,000
• Seaside Recreation & Community Centre up to $5,000
• North Queens Board of Trade up to $10,000

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

Hank Snow Museum. Photo Ed Halverson

Organizers are calling this year’s Hank Snow Tribute a resounding success.

More than 1,600 people showed up for the annual event which returned to Queens Place after a four-year hiatus brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over $25,000 was raised at this year’s tribute which will go directly to supporting operations at the Hank Snow Museum.

Administrator with the Friends of Hank Snow Society (and longtime QCCR announcer) Vina Moses says the organizing committee knew after a four-year break they would need to change tactics to raise as much as they could to support the museum.

This year the group got the community to sponsor the names of performers, past and present who have appeared on the Hank Snow Tribute stage and included them in the program.

That sponsorship drive along with some government grants allowed organizers to cover all the concert expenses, leaving the money raised at the event to go directly to the Hank Snow Museum.

Moses says the Friends of Hank Snow Society had to be creative in finding ways to cover their costs through the pandemic. She says they hit upon the idea of hosting weekly barbeques at the museum site to help keep the doors of the museum open.

“That was money that we were able to use to keep the museum going for the last few months. That’s because of those diligent people who worked so hard on the Wednesday shows and the wonderful people who came to the Wednesday shows,” said Moses. “We had folks who came every week and we really appreciate them.”

Moses says the community has come to enjoy the barbeques and the society decided they will continue.

Even though the tribute has just ended, organizers are forging ahead to provide more music.

The group is now preparing for their annual Gavin Whynot memorial event Saturday Sep 9 from noon until 6pm at the Gaven Whynot Gazebo Park. Then they’ll set their sights on another event in December to recognize the many volunteers who help keep the memory of Hank Snow and his influence alive.

To hear the full interview with Vina Moses click play below.

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com

Hank Snow Museum. Photo Ed Halverson

Organizers of the annual Hank Snow Tribute are calling this year’s event a rebuilding.

Aside from a mini tribute that was held in 2022 to mark the 30^th anniversary of the show the COVID 19 pandemic kept the event off the schedule for the past three years.

That was bad news for the Hank Snow Hometown Museum which relies on the proceeds of the Tribute to fund its year-round operations.

Museum administrator and Chair of the Hank Snow Tribute Vina Moses says the Friends of Hank Snow Society are determined to get things back on track.

“COVID devastated us financially, it devastated us, of course, you know, we were down, our feelings were down but we all kept saying we are going to make it,” said Moses. “So, this particular tribute is a rebuild. And it’s a rebuilding for all of the things that we have to do. Rebuilding with the musicians, rebuilding of a new type of tribute.”

Organizers are shaking up the event this year by expanding from one headlining act for the festival to four days of headliners. Included in the list are Ruth Manning and the Prospectors, the Nova Scotia Country Music Hall of Famers, Southern Breeze, the Rhinestone Romeos and Joyce Seamone.

Moses who is also a long-time host and former General Manager at QCCR says keeping the legacy of Hank Snow alive is important.

She says the Liverpool native opened the door to the Nashville Music scene for generations of Canadians to follow. The former train station that houses the Hank Snow Hometown Museum was significant to Snow during a rough childhood.

“Well, it’s very interesting that Hank Snow called this particular train station his safe place when he was a child. He was an abused child and whenever he thought he was going to be abused, he came in here and laid down and slept here,” said Moses. “So, when they called him and told him they were going to have the train station as a museum he was so excited.”

Moses says roughly 3,000 people from around the world, including some prominent Canadian country musicians make the pilgrimage to the museum each year. She is excited to see the RVs rolling in across from the museum to set up base camp for the four-day tribute.

Tickets for the event being held at Queens Place are still available at Ticketpro.ca. More information on the Hank Snow Tribute can be found on the museum website and Facebook page.

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com

To listen to the broadcast of this story, press play below.

Vina Moses stands alongside a statue of country music legend Hank Snow. Photo Ed Halverson

Organizers of the annual Hank Snow Tribute are calling for help.

For the past 30 years the life and legacy of Liverpool’s favourite son has been celebrated through several nights of concerts, music and memories.

But administrator at the Hank Snow Museum Vina Moses says the annual tribute which acts as their major fundraiser may not be enough to keep the doors open.

Moses who also appears on-air here at QCCR says a three-years long pandemic with little opportunity for fundraising has drained the organization’s accounts.

“The financial situation at the Hank Snow Museum is critical,” says Moses. “We are really looking for sponsors, especially for both of our events but mostly for the Tribute. We really need help this year to get through.”

Moses says the museum has kept the doors open and the lights on over the past few years thanks to the support of several large sponsors including the Region of Queens, Sobeys, Belliveau Veinotte accountants and Heritage Canada.

Hank Snow was Canada’s first major country music star. His career took flight when he moved to Nashville in 1949. Over the next five decades he recorded 140 albums and landed 85 singles on the Billboard Country charts including number one hits “I’m Moving On” and “I’ve Been Everywhere”.

Moses is hoping to see others who are passionate about Snow’s music step forward and support their work.

“There are folks who have already helped, and we are now looking for some more major sponsors as well as folks who will maybe sponsor $50.”

Moses says that $50 will place the sponsors name beside an artist on the festival literature.

Headlining the Hank Snow Tribute this year will be Ruth Manning and the Prospectors on Thursday, a collection of Nova Scotia Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees is featured on Friday, the Rhinestone Romeos from the valley and Southern Breeze from New Brunswick will co-headline Saturday and Joyce Seamone will lead the finale Sunday.

Country legend Carroll Baker was scheduled to headline the Tribute, but Moses says due to circumstances beyond their control the Hank Snow Society couldn’t fly her in.

Organizers are working to bring Baker back next year.

The Hank Snow Society is planning several other events this summer including weekly Wednesday barbeques featuring local performers at the Hank Snow Museum.

The Hank Snow Tribute will be held at Queens Place in Liverpool the weekend of Aug 17 and tickets go on sale Wednesday, June 14.

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com

To listen to the broadcast of this story, press play below.

Hank Snow Administrator Vina Moses with Charlotte White. Photo courtesy Friends of Hank Snow Society

A dedicated Liverpool volunteer was honoured in a surprise ceremony Sunday.

Charlotte White thought she was attending the regular annual general meeting of the Hank Snow society.

As she pulled in the driveway of the Hank Snow Museum, it didn’t take long for her to figure out something was up.

“When I drove in the yard and I saw all the cars and I thought oh isn’t this nice, we have so many to turn out ‘cause it was our annual meeting, right?” said White. “Oh, my heavens, and then I saw girl stand in the driveway that worked with me at the food bank and I thought, and then when I went to park, I saw my son’s car and I thought, what is going on here?”

For her longstanding service, the Friends of Hank Snow Society decided to name the room that showcases the famous singer’s outfits in honour of Charlotte White.

Commemorative sign inside museum. Photo courtesy Friends of Hank Snow Society

The ceremony was marked with messages of appreciation for White from MLA Kim Masland and Mayor Darlene Norman.

Administrator at the Hank Snow Museum Vina Moses says the honour is not only deserved but appropriate.

“We thought that would be a nice way to honour her so that when we do tours, we can say this is the Charlotte White room,” said Moses. “Charlotte White is the lady who did a lot for the museum, for the Friends of Hank Snow Society and a lady who loved Hank Snow and loved his music and wanted to make sure that it was remembered.”

Moses says White has been involved since the early days of the Friends of Hank Snow Society and her fingerprints are all over the organization.

While she isn’t as front and centre in day-to-day activities, White continues to be an honorary director.

Moses says when you mention to White you have a need, she puts her experience and connections to work to make it happen.

Moses says the society also wanted to ensure White was recognized for her work establishing the outside canteen, which will now forever bear her name.

“I thought we needed something inside and outside because there may be people who don’t come inside but who are at the outside activities or vice versa, you know. So, her name is in both areas, and I thought it was a deserving recognition that she would have that,” said Moses.

Charlotte White sign on concessions building outside museum. Photo courtesy Friends of Hank Snow Society

Keeping the ceremony a surprise from someone as plugged into the community as White was no easy feat.

Moses says she needed to use White’s own network against her to keep the event under wraps.

By using the phone list White provided, Moses managed to divvy up the guest list into a phone tree for volunteers to reach out to all invitees.

“We knew if we put it out there, numerous, I’m sure hundreds and hundreds of people would have come,” said Moses. “But as I said, we kind of wanted her to know that all those volunteers that she’s called over the years did it because they, you know loved her and loved helping out at Hank Snow and they did it because of Charlotte, I’ll tell you for sure.”

When asked how she felt about having her name emblazoned across the museum White was both excited, and humbled.

“I never got to sleep ‘til about 1:30 this morning ’cause I kept thinking who was that who was that?” said White. “It was wonderful but not necessary, but wonderful.”

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

To listen to the broadcast of this story, press play below.

South Shore Drive-in screen. Photo credit: Catherine Croft

A popular way to spend a night out in Queens is over – at least for now.

The group behind the South Shore Drive-In announced they would not be operating this year because members are stretched too thin by work and other time commitments.

The South Shore Drive-In was embraced by the community as a fun, family-focused event that was nostalgic for older patrons who remember seeing movies from their cars years ago and exciting for younger audiences who experienced the drive-in for the first time.

Because family groups could stay isolated within the bubble of their own vehicle it was also one of the few places large numbers of people could gather during the height of the COVID pandemic.

The South Shore Drive-in operated as a pop-up event in locations across Queens but eventually found a home on the grounds of the Hanks Snow Museum in Liverpool.

The community rallied to provide labour and materials to erect a permanent screen on the site.

Because of that kind of support, the drive-in may enjoy new life.

The Hank Snow Society wants to make use of the existing infrastructure and begin showing movies again.

Vina Moses, administrator at the Hank Snow Museum expects staffing the event won’t be a problem.

“We have tons of volunteers. One of the things that Hank Snow has is a wonderful, dedicated group of volunteers,” said Moses.

She says they’re looking for a projector and have already begun the process of getting permits to operate the Drive-In.

Moses says the fire marshal indicated a third exit is needed but that could be easily made by removing a couple of large boulders.

The site has seen several recent upgrades including improved access to washrooms and a new concessions building where patrons can enjoy anything from popcorn and candy bars to hot dogs.

Moses says a drive-in is a wonderful way to bring families and the community together.

“It was so exciting when we had the drive-in here because families were here, people were here from all over. You could see people talking to one another,” said Moses. “The fellowship was nice.”

Moses says if they can line up the permits and source a projector the Hank Snow Museum could be opening the drive-in starting weekends in July.

Reported by Ed Halverson 
E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

To listen to the broadcast of this story, press play below.

Vina Moses stands alongside a statue of country music legend Hank Snow. Photo Ed Halverson

The Hank Snow Tribute show scheduled for August has been cancelled.

This marks the third year in a row the annual tribute has been called off because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vina Moses* with the Hank Snow Museum says uncertainty around what restrictions will be in place this summer have forced organizers to call it off.

“We are already preparing for the Hank Snow Tribute. We started around December,” said Moses. “We have money that we have to outlay beforehand. The board was worried that perhaps anything that they deposited might not be returned.”

Those include deposits paid to artists, the venue, equipment, and souvenir suppliers.

The tribute show normally attracts around 2,000 people to the Liverpool area and is the main source of income for the museum.

Moses says private donors and all three levels of government have stepped in to keep the museum operating during the pandemic.

But she says it’s the fans of the Country Music Hall of Famer that drive the event.

“People don’t realize that the Friends of Hank Snow Society is not limited to Nova Scotia,” said Moses. “It’s not limited to Queens, to Nova Scotia, it’s not limited to Canada. We have people from all over the world.”

Despite a passion for the man who wrote iconic hits such as “I’m Moving On” and “I’ve Been Everywhere”, Moses says many people are still wary of gathering indoors at a large event.

Last year, the Friends of Hank Snow Society held an outdoor mini tribute at the Hank Snow Museum and plans are in place to do that once again on the third weekend in August, in place of the annual tribute show.

Moses says the group is planning to add another small country-music festival to be held on the grounds the weekend of July 23.

Anyone wishing to attend either of those events can book ahead by contacting the Hank Snow Museum.

*Vina Moses is also general manager of QCCR

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

To listen to the broadcast of this story, press play below.