Good day, everyone,

I want to begin by acknowledging that this is a long, but I hope you will stick with me until the end. There are so many people and organizations deserving of recognition, and while I may not be able to name every person individually, it is important to me that you know how much your contributions meant.

The Alliston Potato Festival is the largest event in New Tecumseth, welcoming more than 23,000 visitors this year. An event of this size does not come together because of one person or one committee. It happens because hundreds of people give their time, share their talents and step forward whenever help is needed.

Our planning began in October, and from those first committee meetings through festival week and the final days of cleanup, this incredible group worked together to make the 2026 Alliston Potato Festival one of our most successful festivals yet.

To our committee

First, I want to salute our committee for its dedication throughout the year.

Dennis Burt, our Chair, has been part of this committee for so many years that we have lost track. Dennis, your knowledge, guidance and watchful eye are invaluable. You lead in a quiet and steady way, always paying attention to the details and making sure nothing is overlooked. Your years of dedication to the festival and our community are deeply appreciated.

Karen Lopez, our Treasurer, works throughout the entire year to ensure our finances remain organized and that we have the information needed to make responsible decisions. Karen, thank you for keeping everything on track and for the countless hours you put in behind the scenes. Your work may not always be visible to those attending the festival, but it is essential to everything we do.

Matthew Potter joined us as a volunteer four years ago and quickly began taking on every task that needed to be done. From Sunday Night Music in the Park to the Fairgrounds Stage and whatever else we ask of you, you always step forward. The talent you brought together for the Fairgrounds Stage helped showcase our community and brought consistent music and life to that area throughout the weekend. Your skills, enthusiasm and commitment—not only to our festival but to so many other community events—are something we are very fortunate to have.

Sarah Batchilder, from creating social media posts to helping bring the Just Sing Contest to life, you have continued to nurture this event and its participants year after year. What makes your work so special is that you ensure our winners are not forgotten after the contest ends. You look for opportunities for them to perform in the community and make sure their accomplishments continue to be celebrated. Thank you for giving these performers an opportunity and helping them build their confidence.

Sarah and Craig Batchilder, you were also there during teardown, stepping into whatever roles were needed to make sure the work was completed. Even in the days following the festival, you continued taking down signs, picking up thank-you cards and purchasing gift cards. Those may have felt like small errands to you, but to me they were important, time-sensitive tasks that lifted an enormous weight from my shoulders. Thank you both for continuing to help long after the festival gates had closed.

Chris Hull, you were part of the Alliston Potato Festival long before my time, and we appreciate the commitment you have shown over the years. Thank you for taking responsibility for the front gates and ensuring our community groups had everything they needed to complete this extremely important job. You, Dennis and the rest of the gate team helped us greet more than 23,000 visitors this year. This is a huge responsibility, and we appreciate the steady leadership you bring to it.

Sherrilyn Chisholm, your steady presence and the way you have made the Kids Zone your own have helped it grow into an important part of the festival. It showcases local organizations while giving families more activities to enjoy beyond the midway.

I especially want to thank you for taking several of our student volunteers under your wing. You made sure they felt safe, supported and included rather than feeling as though they were on their own. During the parade, you guided them, made sure they were having fun and still kept everyone focused on getting the job done. That kind of mentorship makes a lasting difference.

George Scott and the New Tecumseth Rotary Club took on the mammoth job of organizing a parade with more than 65 entries, along with recruiting and coordinating the volunteers needed to run it safely. The parade draws people from miles around and brings thousands of visitors into our downtown core. George, thank you as well for joining us as a director. We appreciate everything you do for the festival and our entire community.

To our Junior Directors

Aiden, Sophie and Deacan, your leadership shone throughout the festival weekend. Thank you for setting an example for the other students and demonstrating what young community leadership looks like.

Deacan Mead, you have truly taken ownership of Tater Tim. You brought the character to life, engaged with families and encouraged your friends to step forward and take on the other mascot roles. I want to personally thank you for giving Tater Tim such an outgoing personality and presence. We may even have something up our sleeve for Tater Tim this coming year that could open an exciting new chapter in his life!

Aiden Silva, from sunrise on the first day of setup until sunset on the final day of teardown, you were there. You stepped into every task that needed to be done, helped manage the volunteer schedule and guided other volunteers into different roles throughout the weekend. I have watched you grow tremendously over the past year and become a confident leader among your peers. I am very proud of the way you stepped forward.

Sophie Skelton, thank you for showing up, encouraging other students to volunteer and helping us fill important roles throughout the weekend. You also took on the challenge of refreshing the Tater Tim costume, giving Deacan the confidence to take on the weekend in Tater Tim’s newly refreshed physique. Your creativity and willingness to help made a real difference.

A special thank you to our “Junior Junior” volunteers, Ava and Angela. Even though you were only 12 and 13, you reached out and asked if you could help—and then stepped up to take on so many important tasks. You were there from the very beginning until the very end, always ready to lend a hand. I look forward to having you return each year because I truly believe that, alongside our Junior Directors, you will become the future leaders of this organization.

To more of our incredible team

Helen Mabee, thank you for managing the Green Room, greeting our bands and ensuring they felt welcome and had everything they needed. You also served as the important link between the entertainers and the sound crew. Knowing you were there gave me peace of mind because I knew one of the festival’s main attractions was in capable hands.

No matter what event I become involved with, you are always there to lend a hand. Your support extends far beyond the Alliston Potato Festival to countless other community events, including the Beeton Honey and Garden Festival, Tottenham Bluegrass Festival, Rockstock and the Beeton Fall Fair.

Helen, you are truly one of New Tecumseth’s hidden gems. I am not sure our community fully realizes how fortunate we are to have you. Your knowledge of the community, willingness to help and steady presence do not go unnoticed—at least not by me. Thank you for everything you continue to give to our community.

Linda Gaspar, thank you for being such a steady presence in the Treasurer’s Office, giving Karen an opportunity to step away when needed and helping oversee the trailer. You can always be counted on to show up, help wherever you are needed and quietly keep things moving.

George Lopez, you join our team three years ago to ensure our garbage collection and grounds were kept in top-notch condition, but you have become so much more than that. You keep a watchful eye on the entire site, notice things that need attention and either take care of them yourself or make sure the right person is contacted.

Clean grounds are one of the most important parts of running a successful event. They show our visitors that we care about our festival and take pride in what we present. You even cross the road to clean the property used for parking, making sure we are respectful of our neighbours. Thank you for looking after our grounds and for solving problems before they have a chance to become larger issues.

Heather and Melissa Shaugnessy, four years ago you were “voluntold” that you were helping with the Baby Contest. Now, four years later, you have created a beautiful memorial event and helped it grow into something special once again. This year, 30 babies participated, and there were so many smiling faces.

Seeing the families embrace your themes—and watching the highlight of the day  when the father arrived in a tutu mathcing his child—created wonderful memories and some fantastic photo opportunities. Many of these families have a generational connection to the Baby Contest because they or their relatives participated years ago. Thank you for honouring that history while continuing to make the event better every year. Your entire team is brilliant.

It is wonderful when you can call on family to help, and we cannot forget Simon Shaugnessy. Simon, thank you for supporting Heather and Melissa behind the scenes and for stepping into other festival roles whenever help was needed. From helping with the barbecue at our volunteer orientation to lending a hand with the Classic Car and Truck Show on Sunday morning, you were always willing to jump in. Your support helped both their event and the festival as a whole run more smoothly.

Rick Heidman, as one of the newest members of our festival family, you made an immediate impact by bringing the Classic Car and Truck Show to the festival grounds. The show brought consistent activity and new life to our Sunday. Several vendors told us it was their best day, and our gates remained steadily busy.

Sunday was once the day when our committee could slow down and catch its breath. This year, we found ourselves on the go because the grounds were so busy—and that is a wonderful problem to have. Thank you for bringing this opportunity to the festival. We look forward to continuing and growing this partnership in the years ahead.

Pastor Will, thank you for stepping forward and filling the shoes of Pastor Blain by ensuring we had a crew ready to clean the grounds early each morning. The condition of the grounds is one of the first things visitors notice when they arrive. Clean, welcoming grounds show that we care about their experience and take pride in our festival. With you and George watching over this important responsibility throughout the weekend, our visitors received a positive first impression each day.

Thank you as well for helping organize our Sunday morning Church Celebration. This was the third year for the service, and it welcomed its largest crowd yet. There is something very special about bringing people from different churches and denominations together as one community. Although people may worship in different ways, the service gives everyone an opportunity to come together through a shared faith and the values that unite us.

Offering this peaceful and meaningful moment in the middle of a busy festival weekend is truly a blessing for our community. Watching people gather together on Sunday morning is incredibly moving, and I am grateful to you and everyone involved for continuing to help this important part of the festival grow.

To every volunteer

To every volunteer receiving this email, I would love to recognize each of you individually, but I am afraid I would unintentionally miss someone. Please know that no matter what task you completed during festival week, you helped make the weekend successful.

Every smile offered to a festival visitor mattered. Every hello, answered question, cleaned table, moved chair, delivered message and helping hand mattered.

You helped with setup and teardown. You walked in the parade, watched the gates, acted as runners, cleaned different areas, wore mascot costumes and walked beside the mascots to keep them safe. Whenever we asked for help, you stepped forward.

A special shout-out goes to Kristi McLeneghan, who took more than 1,300 photographs throughout the weekend. I have barely touched the surface of the wonderful moments you captured. Those photographs will help us preserve the memories of this year’s festival and tell its story for years to come.

To our student volunteers, thank you for giving up part of your summer to help your community. Whether you were earning volunteer hours or simply wanted to be involved, I hope you left knowing that your contribution was valued. You were not just extra hands—you were an important part of our team.

To our partnering organizations

To the Alliston Lions Club, thank you for being such an incredible partner for the past 50 years. The Beer Gardens remain one of the community highlights of the weekend. It is a gathering place where longtime friends reunite, relive their younger days and create new memories.

My niece recently moved from the city to our area and brought some friends with her. They had such a good time on Friday that they returned on Saturday and announced that they will now be coming back to Alliston every year. That reminded me that you do not have to be raised here to experience the magic of festival weekend. You simply need the right venue and atmosphere, and people will embrace it.

We deeply value our partnership with the Alliston Lions Club and the way our organizations work together. Thank you for continuing to be such strong community leaders.

To the Knights of Columbus, and especially Jim, thank you for being there year after year. You continue the festival tradition of back bacon on a bun while always finding something new to try and keeping the humble potato at the heart of what you offer. The relationship between the Knights and the Alliston Potato Festival is a longstanding one, and I sincerely hope it continues for many years to come.

To the New Tecumseth Rotary Club, pulling off one of the largest parades in Simcoe County is no small feat. People come from miles around to watch it, and everyone wants to be part of it. Thank you for embracing the entire New Tecumseth community and for taking responsibility for the event that officially kicks off our festival weekend. The parade sets the mood, creates excitement and gives everyone a glimpse of what is still to come.

To the Tottenham Lions Club, South Simcoe Theatre and the Renegade Derby Dames, thank you for staffing our gates. You may not realize how much weight is lifted from the committee’s shoulders when we know trusted community groups are taking care of this responsibility.

After the parade sets the tone for the weekend, you are often the next point of contact our visitors have with the festival. Your smiling faces, friendly greetings, answers to questions and simple words of “Enjoy the festival” help start each visitor’s day on a positive note. Thank you for being such wonderful ambassadors for the Alliston Potato Festival.

To the Gibson Centre, thank you for opening your doors as a cooling station during the festival and for supporting Sarah with the organization of the Just Sing Contest. Providing a welcoming venue for this community event allowed our performers to shine in a comfortable and professional space. We truly appreciate your continued support of the festival and our community.

To the New Tecumseth Ghost Walks, thank you to Cael and her team, along with Sean Derraigh, for leading Saturday night’s walk. You shared fascinating stories about the history of Alliston’s oldest homes and buildings—some of which may still carry a presence from the past. Close to 100 people participated, and it was exciting to have this experience as part of the Alliston Potato Festival. As you approach your tenth year of guiding walks throughout New Tecumseth, we are reminded of what a wonderful organization and community treasure we have in our own backyard.

To the Alliston Robotics Club, thank you for building a special robot for the Potato Festival and giving our visitors an opportunity to try their hand at operating it. By joining our Kids Zone, you gave younger generations a fun, hands-on experience with robotics, technology and creativity. We appreciate the time and effort your members put into creating such a unique and engaging activity for our festival.

To Jen Newmark and her team from Pet Grocer, thank you for sponsoring and organizing the Strut the Mutt Contest. This event helps make the Alliston Potato Festival an experience for the entire family—including man’s best friend! Your enthusiasm and commitment created a fun opportunity for people to celebrate their dogs and make them part of the festival weekend.

To the Town of New Tecumseth

The support of the Town of New Tecumseth is an important part of the festival’s success.

Thank you to the Parks, Recreation and Culture team, led by Mark McCague, Jacob Perry and the entire crew, for working with us and ensuring we had the barriers, bleachers, garbage cans and other equipment required to operate the festival safely and successfully. Your willingness to work with our team and help us solve problems throughout the planning process and festival weekend is greatly appreciated.

Thank you as well to the office staff, including Jennie Boonstra and Melissa Hatfield, for all your assistance behind the scenes.

To Deputy Mayor Stephanie MacLellan and Councillor Chris Rappin, thank you for not only supporting the festival but for coming out and working alongside us during the weekend. Your support before and during the event helps make the Alliston Potato Festival one of the most successful community events in New Tecumseth and Simcoe County.

To our vendors, entertainers, sponsors and visitors

To our vendors, thank you for being ambassadors for the festival. Your welcoming smiles, patience with visitors’ questions and commitment to providing a positive experience are all part of what makes the festival grounds feel inviting.

To every entertainer—from the TD Main Stage and Fairgrounds Stage to the performers appearing throughout the grounds—the energy and excitement you bring help create those magical moments. You put smiles on faces and stars in the eyes of both the young and the young at heart.

To our sponsors and community businesses, thank you for supporting us in so many ways. Whether you provided financial support, equipment, professional services, supplies or food for our volunteers, your contribution helped make the festival possible. We could not offer the experience we do without you.

Finally, thank you to everyone who attended. A festival needs people to come through the gates, enjoy the entertainment, visit the vendors and embrace the experience. Your continued support gives all of our volunteers a reason to keep doing what we do.

Because everyone pulls together, we are able to keep our admission at only $8 and continue offering free admission to elementary school-aged children. That accessibility is something we are very proud of, and it is only possible because of every committee member, volunteer, student, organization, sponsor, vendor, entertainer, Town staff member and visitor who supports us.

The Alliston Potato Festival is much more than a three-day event. It is an example of what can happen when an entire community works together.

If you have stayed with me until the end of this, thank you. I know it has been a long one, but I wanted everyone to understand just how much I value each person who contributes to this festival.

Every time I reach out and ask for help, someone steps forward. Whether it is a large responsibility or a small task that needs to be completed at the last minute, you are there. Each time you say yes, you help make the Alliston Potato Festival the best event in the county.

I am proud to say that I am the Executive Director of the Alliston Potato Festival—not because of the title, but because of the incredible team I have standing beside me. Your dedication, generosity and love for this community make me proud of what we accomplish together.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Until next year—let’s see what it has in store for us!

With sincere appreciation,

Beth Wink
Executive Director
Alliston Potato Festival