Work is already well underway to plan the celebration for Goderich's 200th birthday.
The Town's Bicentennial year is in 2027, and a volunteer committee has already been hard at work planning the celebration weekend for months.
Head of the committee, Councillor Liz Petrie, said settling on the weekend of June 24-27, 2027, was the first step.
"Picking a date took us a couple of meetings because once summer starts, it is a very busy community here in Goderich," she said. "We picked this weekend because it is the beginning of summer, the end of school... plus Founder's Day actually is on June 29. That's when John Galt arrived here and started the town, so we thought the closer we could get to that, the better it would be."
The committee has also settled on a logo, after holding a contest last month. Petrie said they were thrilled with the level of participation, selecting Mike Zarytshansky's design as the winner.
"I was very, very impressed, as the committee was as well, that we had 41 submissions," she said. "We picked a winner, a gentleman that made the design that includes the lighthouse, the sunset, the Octagon (the Square): all the things that when you look at the logo, you know it's Goderich."
The committee also settled on a slogan "making waves since 1827."
While the celebration is over 15 months away, the committee is also planning events over the next year, sharing lesser-known stories of the town's history in the coming year to grow interest in the 200th year celebration.
Plans include a podcast series with Phil Main, a play with the Livery Theatre as well as a legacy project that the committee is keeping a secret.
Petrie says the committee they've assembled has done great work in preparing for next year.
"I'm very impressed with this group, they work really hard, they bring forward very good ideas and we have really robust conversations when we're trying to work through specific things," she said. "Very proud of this group and we're looking for one more person to apply and we'll be well-rounded to move forward."
Applications to join the committee are due Friday at 4 p.m.
Residents that want to stay up to date with Bicentennial plans can visit the town's website or social media.
