In this episode of the Hyper Local EDCO Awards Series: A Deep Dive, host Mason Ainsworth sits down with Kait Topham (Events Coordinator for the Municipality of Strathroy-Caradoc) and Lauren Huston (The Wright Family Performing Arts & Entertainment Centre Foundation) to talk about their Canvas & Culture Night Market, which won them the Visitor Attraction & Tourism Product Development - Rural award.

This rural visitor attraction initiative brought thousands of people into downtown Strathroy for a night that mixed local business, food, art, music, and community. Kait shares how the event was built with the Downtown Strathroy BIA, The Wright Place, and a wide range of community partners. It speaks to why inclusion, participation, and a strong sense of belonging were just as important as the numbers.

From sold-out restaurants and packed vendor spaces to drum circles, live mural painting, and cultural performances, this conversation looks at how a small-town night market can become both an economic driver and a celebration of the people who make the community.

This series was made in partnership with the Economic Developers Council of Ontario (EDCO). Thank you to the incredible staff and the Board of Directors for making this series possible.

Thank you to our Series Sponsor:

A special thank you to Peacock Tariff Consulting for sponsoring the Hyper Local EDCO Awards Series. With deep expertise in tariff strategy, customs compliance, and international trade, Peacock Tariff Consulting helps businesses navigate complex global trade challenges with clarity and confidence. We’re grateful for their support of conversations that strengthen Ontario’s economic development community. Learn more at https://lnkd.in/gQes432e.

Thank you to our Podcast Partner, Michelle Samson, MAES, Ec.D. of Storied Places Media.

Storied Places Media specializes in producing audio and video podcasts for economic development organizations. It's long-form content that busy people will actually consume. They can support your vision or take care of the whole process: hosting, interviewing, editing, and distribution on all major streaming platforms. They also advise on strategy and promotion to help it reach as much of your audience as possible.

Learn more at storiedplaces.ca

#EDCO #EconomicDevelopment #EcDev #Ontario #HyperLocalPod

Welcome to the Hyperlocal podcast.

2

I am your host, Mason Ainsworth, and

I'm excited and humbled to let you know

3

that we are partnering with the Economic

Developers Council of Ontario to produce

4

the EDCO Award Winners: The Deep Dive,

a series of high-quality, in-depth

5

conversations featuring the 2025 Award

of Excellence and Bright Ideas winners.

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We'll be highlighting their projects,

journeys, and their impact in

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their community and across Ontario.

8

Speaker: In today's episode, we're

discussing Canvas and Culture Night with

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the Municipality of Strathroy-Caradoc,

who won the EDCO Visitor Attraction and

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Tourism Project Development in the rural

category for under 100,000 population.

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Joining me today in the discussion is

Kate Hartwick-Topham, events and booking

12

coordinator for the Municipality of

Strathroy-Caradoc, and Lauren Houston

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from the Wright Family Performing Arts

and Entertainment Centre Foundation.

14

Now, let's get into it

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mason-ainsworth_10_07-30-2026_110552: We

have two amazing guests with us today.

16

We've got Lauren and we've got Kate,

and they're gonna tell us a little

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bit about themselves and then we're

gonna hop right into things I'm not

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sure if anyone wants to start us off

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kait-topham--municipality-of-strathroy-caradoc--she-her-_2_07-30-2026_110552:

I'll go first.

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I'm Kate Topham.

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I'm the booking and events coordinator

for the Municipality of Strathroy-Caradoc,

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lauren-huston---she-her-_2_07-30-2026_110552:

And I am Lauren Houston.

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I am the administrative assistant

for The Right Place, which is an

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art center in Strathroy-Caradoc

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mason-ainsworth_10_07-30-2026_110552:

And just a little shameless plug,

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Strathroy people are amazing.

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My mom is from Strathroy, and so

got a lot of family in that area.

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So if they're listening, I love

you, and feel free to share

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this to your friends and family.

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o- on a serious note, for the folks

who are not too familiar with your

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award, maybe we'll just start there

and do a brief project overview.

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You know, can you give us a,

a high-level overview of the

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Canvas and Culture Night Market?

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What were the main goals of the project?

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How did the idea of combining

local businesses with culture and

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celebration all come together?

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kait-topham--municipality-of-strathroy-caradoc--she-her-_2_07-30-2026_110552:

Yeah, so I can start with that.

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So the Canvas and Culture

Night Market was part of our

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Strathroy-Caradoc Night Market series.

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So we run four to six night markets a year

now and Canvas and Culture is our biggest.

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And not to pick a favorite

child, but it is the best.

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We worked together in 2025,

with The Right Place and with the

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Downtown Strathroy BIA, and we were

able to pull off a really great

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inclusive event for a lot of people.

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So we had different art

performances happening.

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We had a mural being live painted

on the side of one of our buildings.

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So the main goal was to bring the

community together, make everyone feel

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safe, make everyone feel included,

and have a fun night in Strathroy.

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lauren-huston---she-her-_2_07-30-2026_110552:

Yeah, I think it was born out of like

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the connection between all the businesses

in downtown and the whole community,

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and knowing how much talent is out there

and how much diversity is in the town.

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We really wanted to celebrate

that, and the Night Market

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was the perfect opportunity

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mason-ainsworth_10_07-30-2026_110552:

I, I love that.

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I, I think that's so special,

especially when you're bringing the

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BIA, the municipality, different

folks within the region together

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for that shared experience, and

especially adding in the live mural.

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I think that is such a cool thing 'cause

it's like, "Hey, like we were here when

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this was actually getting created,"

and I think that's something special

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especially if you have your kids with

you or something along those lines.

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So, very cool.

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hopping into a little bit more

deeper down into the project, I'm

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curious, you know, what went well?

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What are the key successes?

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Were there any, you know, challenges

or hurdles that you encountered

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in either the, the planning or the

actual delivering of the project?

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And, you know, how did your partners,

whether it be the BIA or yourselves

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or others in the community, help

to work through some of these

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challenges, if there were any?

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If there wasn't, that's great

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kait-topham--municipality-of-strathroy-caradoc--she-her-_2_07-30-2026_110552:

All events come with their challenges.

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So, you-- we kind of, you know, black out

those parts in the planning when you have

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a really successful event, and you try

and forget those things that happened.

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But our biggest hurdle was definitely

getting the mural set up because it

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needed to go through so many people.

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Like, it needed to be approved by the

people who are leasing the building,

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the people who own the building,

municipally it needed to be approved,

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and then we had to have an artist

that was available for that day.

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So that was definitely our biggest hurdle.

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But this year it's already set.

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We already know that it's happening.

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And then another kind of barrier from

an event perspective is safety, like

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community safety and cultural events are

definitely more targeted, so there was a

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lot more safety planning that went into

it and ensuring that we kept the community

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as safe as we could Those are my barriers.

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Lauren, do you have others?

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lauren-huston---she-her-_2_07-30-2026_110552:

I think the, the one that came to mind

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was remembering how fast it came together.

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Like obviously the town throws four

to six night markets a year, but the

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idea to do the cultural art festival,

wasn't that long that we had to plan it.

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So, we definitely had to jump through some

hoops with timing and stuff like that.

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But it did set us up for success

this year 'cause we're ready to go.

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mason-ainsworth_10_07-30-2026_110552:

I, I love that.

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And I think the more that you do those

things, and even though, you know, as

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you mentioned, you kinda went through

the pain of not having the ideal

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amount of time, but you still stuck it

through and, and got the thing done.

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And now that next time you've learned

through that process, whether it be, you

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know, the approval of the, the tenants

or the property owners or even the

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municipality, I'm sure that process has

even been more streamlined after that.

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Or at least you know, like, hey, like,

these are the things that we need to go

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through, and here's, like, the approximate

time just to reduce some of the stress.

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So I think that is really good info.

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Thank you So I know we've talked a

little bit about the barriers and such,

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as well as some of the successes.

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I'm just curious if you could talk a

little bit more about the folks who are

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involved from the community perspective.

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I know you talked about the Downtown

Strathroy BIA as well as The Right

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Place and other community groups.

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I know you had a huge list

of them in your submission.

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I was just curious if you could go

through those a little bit how those

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partnerships took place the experience

with creating those partnerships, and why

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that community participation, whether it

be from different groups or communities

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coming together, is so important to have

to have a successful event like this.

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kait-topham--municipality-of-strathroy-caradoc--she-her-_2_07-30-2026_110552:

The community engagement

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was so cool for me.

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My whole job is doing events, so

having people come together to make

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things happen, and then seeing how

it works for everyone who lives

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here is the coolest part of my job.

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So working with the local artists that

we did, and Lauren can speak more to

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them because they did have an art show

in the right place, and then we had

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the Crackers Ukulele Group who were

teaching kids how to play ukulele.

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We had a drum circle, a community drum

circle that was just a group of people

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who do this, and they came together,

and they brought extra instruments.

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And we had so many people come in.

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We had a couple local people

who were teaching salsa lessons.

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Like, it was really cool to have people

step up and wanna be a part of it.

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And now as we're planning for 2026's

event next month, we have so many more.

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Like, we have people who are coming to

us from the community, but also from

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other communities that wanna be a part

of this, and they saw how great it was

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and how it brought people together,

and I think that is the, the coolest

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part of having an event like this,

is seeing everyone come together.

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We had like, a poetry area where people

could come and write a line, write

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poetry, and stick it to a fence panel,

and that was full by the end of the night.

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And we did community art projects

and tiles and things like that,

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and it was, it was really nice

to see it all come together

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mason-ainsworth_10_07-30-2026_110552:

I love that.

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And then I know you're gonna, you're

gonna hop in here as well, Lauren, but

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I'm just curious, could you also tell

us a little bit about what the right

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place is for folks who are not aware?

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lauren-huston---she-her-_2_07-30-2026_110552:

Absolutely.

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The Wright Place is born out of the

Wright Family Performing Arts and

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Entertainment Center Foundation,

which is a very long name.

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So The Wright Place is a little

easier to say, but it is a foundation

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that's been around for a number of

years started by Don and Mary Wright.

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And so The Wright Place is a art

center, or it will be an art center.

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We are in a renovation phase right now.

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but it's set out to be a 200-seat

theater and art gallery space right

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downtown Strathroy so that we can not

only celebrate local artists to be able

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to, like, share their work locally,

but also bring entertainment in.

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Um, It's not something that the town has

at all, so we're really excited for it.

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And then so to be connected with this

art market was, like, such a privilege.

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Should I continue with

the other answer too?

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mason-ainsworth_10_07-30-2026_110552:

oh yeah, feel free.

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Please take it away

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lauren-huston---she-her-_2_07-30-2026_110552:

Okay, cool.

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I'm, I'm really just gonna echo kind

of what Kate said, which was seeing

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the amount of, like, collaboration

and, participation from everyone

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who attended the Night Market,

like with the poetry wall, with

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the community tiles, the drawings.

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Like, there was just so much connection

happening all throughout the space.

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And from our perspective, we had an

art gallery inside of our space with

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local artists, and it was just so

nice to see many people, like, step up

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and reach out and wanna be involved.

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And just, like, even how connected

we already are with the arts

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community in town, seeing even

more people who have all of these

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amazing talents and things to share.

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And then now this year, like some

people, you know, coming forward with

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their own ideas of what they want to

include is just, like, such a thrill.

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mason-ainsworth_10_07-30-2026_110552: I, I

love that, and I think, you know, finding

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the talent in our communities is something

that's really special, whether it be art

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or other places, especially we're looking

at, do we wanna beautify this downtown?

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Do we wanna have some different murals?

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Do we wanna maybe have, like,

some sort of a sculpture created?

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Do we wanna have…

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Like, there's so many different things

that can happen within different

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communities, and a lot of the times I

think communities don't know that that

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talent already exists, whether it's, you

know, within their municipality or within

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one of the surrounding municipalities.

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So I think tapping into that and making

it more accessible for folks to be

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able to reach out and to have those

conversations of like, "Hey, you know,

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this is a cool thing that I could

do," and just spreading that with the

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community or maybe even setting up some

of those partnerships and then, hey,

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maybe that turns into a business, right?

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And that's some economic development

coming together, which is really exciting.

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186

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mason-ainsworth_10_07-30-2026_110552:

So folks, speaking of others a, a big

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part of this is we wanna make sure

that folks can take little tidbits

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out if they say, "Hey, you know,

this sounds like something great.

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I'd love to do something

within our community."

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and understanding that every community

is unique, what advice or lessons would

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you share with other rural municipalities

specifically, or event organizers that

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are looking to create something similar

that celebrates, you know, not only local

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business, but local culture as well?

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kait-topham--municipality-of-strathroy-caradoc--she-her-_2_07-30-2026_110552:

I would say really tap

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into your community.

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Find out, you know, what groups you have

that would be interested and that could

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be a part of it, what ideas there are.

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We got really fortunate with the

BIA because they have such a wide

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variety of businesses in our downtown

in Strathroy that we were able to

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take art and culture from those

businesses, bring it out to the street.

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So people were going inside to shop, but

then they were also coming outside to see

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all the other things that were happening.

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And then we've gotten really lucky that we

have a very strong Portuguese community,

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and a very strong Dutch community,

and a very strong Irish community.

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So they've all come on board

to want to add to these things.

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So, just seeing what you have in your

community and working off that instead

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of trying to start from scratch I think

would be really helpful for anyone who's

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trying to build something like this

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lauren-huston---she-her-_2_07-30-2026_110552:

And from a perspective of like a business

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or, you know, we're, part of the BIA

in the downtown for businesses it's so

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rewarding to get involved with events that

the town puts on in whatever way you can.

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And it's the participation

of those businesses that

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makes the night what it is.

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You know, all of the organization of

course is, what pulls it together, but the

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businesses is what makes it come to life.

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So from a perspective of being part

of the BIA, just really get involved

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when those opportunities to you

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mason-ainsworth_10_07-30-2026_110552:

I think that's great advice.

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And then just for me, 'cause I have

not attended this particular event,

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but definitely interested in coming

down in the future and checking it out.

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if you're walking down the

street, what does that look like

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when this event is going on?

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Can you just take us on like a Google

Maps walk through and maybe like point out

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a few things of like the mural and some

other stuff, and what kind of things would

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you expect going to an event like this?

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kait-topham--municipality-of-strathroy-caradoc--she-her-_2_07-30-2026_110552:

I don't know if it's different for

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us because we got to watch all of the

work we put into it, but, like, I have

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chills right now thinking about it.

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There's so many people.

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Like, there were so many people

who were there and enjoying it.

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Like, it was one of the

best events we've ever done.

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Like, the vibe was good,

the people were great.

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We got to see as the night went on,

and Lauren's a photographer, so she

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took incredible pictures that really

helped us at the end to be like, "Oh

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my gosh, this is what we've created."

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But walking through it and seeing

the live mural happening and how

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hard he was working on that and then

seeing all the kids who were there.

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School had just started.

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They're, like, a week or two

into school, so, like, you know,

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they're, they're with their friends.

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And we have glow paint, and

we've got light things, and,

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like, they're having a blast, and

their parents are having a blast.

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And we had, in the drum circle, one

of our friends, her parents were

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with her, and she's like, "I've been

trying to leave for an hour, and my

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parents won't leave the drum circle."

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And It was a great feeling and a great

vibe, and it made Strathroy feel like

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that community we know it is, and

it makes people feel welcome to it.

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You don't have to be from

Strathroy to be a part of the

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Canvas and Culture Night Market

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lauren-huston---she-her-_2_07-30-2026_110552:

Yeah, and for me, who was…

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I, I mean, I don't know how many times

I ran up and down the two streets to

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capture everything, but something that

really stood out was just like there

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was nowhere within the market space

that didn't have some sort of music

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or art that you could hear or see.

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Like, it was just so filled with

creativity, and you could feel

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it every single space that you

went, and that was so magical

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mason-ainsworth_10_07-30-2026_110552:

It sounds magical.

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It sounds like some mini Disney moments,

you know, with all the kids and the mural

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getting painted and the drum circle,

and I'm sure there's, like, different

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food as well, and sounds really cool.

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And I really like, what you said

there, Kate, about you don't have

272

to be from Strathroy to come and

enjoy that and to be part of it.

273

I think that's really special.

274

It really sounds like a community

and a welcoming event for sure.

275

Uh, So folks, jumping back in a

little bit, I'm curious, you know,

276

the impact of the work and the award.

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So obviously the Night Market drew,

you know, thousands of people and

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generated strong community feedback.

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How has this initiative

impacted the community so far?

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And what has winning the EDCO award meant

not only for yourselves who are involved,

281

but for your larger team or the community?

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kait-topham--municipality-of-strathroy-caradoc--she-her-_2_07-30-2026_110552:

So honestly, from my perspective events

283

and arts are often not the most funded.

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A lot of the time we're looking for

grants, we're looking for sponsorship,

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we're looking for those pieces.

286

This year for Canvas and Culture, it

was one of the first events that got

287

sponsored You never know year after

year if you're gonna keep your budget, if

288

it's gonna go up, if it's gonna go down.

289

We were really fortunate to have our

mayor and some councilors come to the

290

awards with us, so they were there

when we received it, and they-- so

291

they knew right off, like right on

time, that this is what was happening.

292

So it was really great to have that

support from mayor and council.

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And then it kinda just grew from there.

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Having the Canvas & Culture Market

now has other groups wanting to

295

partner on other markets so that we

can continue to grow these things.

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So winning that award has made it

so that we have something tangible

297

to say, like, "We know our events

are great, but now, now you all get

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to know how great our events are."

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lauren-huston---she-her-_2_07-30-2026_110552:

Yeah, I just agree with that.

300

It was so exciting and,

like, rewarding to do.

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It was rewarding to do the market

in itself, but then to also have,

302

like, that recognization was,

like, such a little cherry on top.

303

And from the Right Place's perspective,

our whole mission is bringing the

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arts to Strathroy and celebrating

the arts that's already in Strathroy,

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because it truly is a community

filled with so many creative people.

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and this whole experience, really

strengthened our relationship with the

307

municipality, who have been supporters

since day one, but this was, like, the

308

collaboration that went in on this, I

think, has strengthened that relationship

309

and, like, showed us that, like, our

space in the town will just, carry so many

310

future projects and exciting things that

will just bring so much good to the town.

311

mason-ainsworth_10_07-30-2026_110552:

Amazing.

312

I, I think that's great, and I go

back to this, you know, comment

313

someone told me a long time ago back

when I was in politics, and they

314

said, "You've gotta kick the tires."

315

And what that meant was, like, actually

going to these places or to these

316

events to see what's actually going on.

317

And I think you folks have really done

that, not only with attendance from

318

folks who are, you know, decision-makers,

but also having the mayor and some

319

of the councilors come to the actual

award ceremony, I think is so crucial,

320

especially when it comes to, you know,

budget time, so they can see that impact,

321

not just within their community but at

the provincial level with EDCO and such.

322

And then also from, you know, just a

simple marketing perspective, right?

323

Getting more folks to attend 'cause

now it's an award-winning event.

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You've got an award-winning team.

325

Uh, And also, hey, come and

invest and bring your business

326

to our community because we're

doing all this amazing stuff.

327

So I think all of those things

together, it's just like a win-win-win

328

for everybody at the end of the day.

329

And then the more support you can

get as a result of that, whether

330

that be, hey, easier to attract

new sponsors or more support.

331

I know we're in a municipal election

year, so maybe, you know, the current

332

councilor or the next councilor, whoever's

involved, they look at that and they

333

say, "Hey, you know, this is amazing.

334

Not only did we go to it, but it's

also, you know, won awards, making

335

our community look better, so can we

take this thing to the next level?

336

Like, what do you need in order to support

this to do, you know, what the vision is?"

337

Speaking of that, just a little brief

foreshadowing looking towards the

338

future I'm curious, what does the future

look like for the Canvas and Culture

339

Night Market or similar events that

you're gonna be doing in the future?

340

And where do you see those

biggest opportunities or kind

341

of those next steps ahead?

342

kait-topham--municipality-of-strathroy-caradoc--she-her-_2_07-30-2026_110552:

Future is so bright

343

for Canvas and Culture.

344

So, I've actually been joking in the

office that whenever I get a little

345

too stressed out with other things,

I'm gonna work on the fun stuff, so I

346

have little Canvas and Culture breaks.

347

So, it is looking even cooler for

348

September 19th this year, Saturday.

349

And we have some really

fun stuff lined up.

350

The-- We have a mural lined

up already with the BIA.

351

They have taken on that

project, which has been great.

352

And then we've got lots of music,

lots of entertainment, lots of art.

353

We've got vendors signed up.

354

We had vendors who started to

sign up in September of last

355

year to be a part of this market.

356

From an economic development

standpoint, we had storefronts that

357

didn't have people in them, like they

weren't rented at the time, but the

358

landlords would let people do pop-ups

during the market, and now we've got

359

people in there kind of permanently.

360

So it's, it it's bright.

361

So Canvas and Culture will be great.

362

All of our night markets are great.

363

All of our events are great.

364

I have to say that.

365

I plan them, so if they

weren't, that's a problem.

366

But I'm really, really looking

367

lauren-huston---she-her-_2_07-30-2026_110552:

As a longtime Strathroy local, I can

368

say that CAPE's events are amazing.

369

All of them are, and they're

getting better and better.

370

And Canvas and Culture,

of course, is a standout.

371

And yeah, I'm so excited for this year,

and I know, like, even just how much

372

we've, like, expanded it or grown it in

the planning from last year to this year.

373

Like, I can't wait for future years.

374

I can't wait for each- future years

when the Right Place is renovated

375

and we have that space to use.

376

And from the Right Place

perspective, just the future of

377

the arts in Strathroy-Caradoc,

like, am so excited to see it grow.

378

I'm so excited to see it so

supported by the municipality and,

379

like, embraced by the community.

380

And Canvas and Culture, I think, really

showed us that the want is there and,

381

like, residents want this, business owners

want the arts to be, and culture to be

382

at the forefront of their community,

and it's such, such an important thing

383

when it comes to the growth of a town

384

mason-ainsworth_10_07-30-2026_110552:

yeah, holy mackerel, you guys are uh,

385

making me excited to come check it out.

386

On a serious note, though, I just

wanted to go back a little bit.

387

I know you mentioned that there was

like a little bit of a kind of impromptu

388

pop-up for some of the stores that

maybe didn't have anybody at the time.

389

I was just wondering for folks who

are interested, you know, how would

390

you approach those conversations?

391

Let's say a community is doing an

event, and they have maybe a couple

392

empty stores or something like that,

and they're like, "Hey, you know,

393

that sounds like an amazing idea.

394

Can we do some sort of a pop-up

at the event where we open it up?"

395

And maybe I'm not sure if that would

be through, like a, a request, like

396

people would put in their different

pitches or something like that.

397

But how did you folks

approach that particular item?

398

I think that's a really cool idea.

399

kait-topham--municipality-of-strathroy-caradoc--she-her-_2_07-30-2026_110552:

So we actually didn't have to.

400

The business owners

worked together on it.

401

They sort of did their own thing.

402

They'd made connections

previously and went with that.

403

We didn't really know until the night of

that those places were going to be open

404

the way they were, so it was really cool.

405

But my suggestion would be to

contact the BIAs because they can put

406

people in touch with the landowners.

407

And then, you know, maybe

those can forge something new

408

mason-ainsworth_10_07-30-2026_110552:

Very cool.

409

That's yeah, lucky for you guys.

410

Holy

411

kait-topham--municipality-of-strathroy-caradoc--she-her-_2_07-30-2026_110552:

Yeah.

412

mason-ainsworth_10_07-30-2026_110552:

amazing when you see folks, you know,

413

step up and create an opportunity

for others and that you don't have

414

to, to manage that process as well.

415

Definitely saves a lot of time where

you can focus on on the other things.

416

Just a, a question kind of off of that

a little bit Uh, And I know this one's

417

kind of getting into the weeds a little

bit, but obviously we're seeing a lot

418

of kind of weather things happening,

whether it be like smoke or others.

419

Did you guys have like a, a solid

weather plan for that event or

420

the one that's happening in the

future, or what does that look like?

421

kait-topham--municipality-of-strathroy-caradoc--she-her-_2_07-30-2026_110552:

Uh, We are actually just magicians.

422

And we believe in the art of

manifestation and great weather.

423

we do have weather plans.

424

It'd be a postponement of the event.

425

It's too hard to try and fit everyone

indoors especially in September when

426

the ice goes back in the arenas.

427

So, it would be a

postponement of the event.

428

We did, this year during our Mount Brydges

Night Market, had the wildfire smoke, so

429

we've postponed that to a safe date, and

our fingers are crossed, and, you know,

430

we'll be doing everything that we can

to blow the bad weather away, I guess.

431

mason-ainsworth_10_07-30-2026_110552:

that is so good.

432

You folks are definitely magicians.

433

I know uh, not to bring back an old

council story, but we had a mayor

434

and he used to say, "Every time it's

nice in the city, it's the city's

435

responsibility that made that happen."

436

And every time the weather was

not so good, they would blame

437

the federal government, so.

438

Uh, So yeah, things happen,

and I, I think that's a great

439

way to approach the situation.

440

you know, in old hyperlocal

fashion, I like to end our

441

episodes with a mystery question.

442

So I have one for you folks.

443

I had a different one earlier, but, you

know, depending on how the conversation

444

goes, sometimes I like to switch that up.

445

the one today for you both is, you both

have such contagious positive energy,

446

and you can tell that you're both so

passionate about not only this project

447

but also your community as a whole.

448

I'm curious, you know, why are you

like that, and how do you recommend

449

you stay that way, especially

with things going on in the world?

450

'Cause I really think that that

positive energy is contagious, and I

451

think we need to spread more of that.

452

So I was wondering if you could tell

us you know, your perspective and maybe

453

a good way to go about doing that.

454

kait-topham--municipality-of-strathroy-caradoc--she-her-_2_07-30-2026_110552:

You said things can be edited out, right?

455

mason-ainsworth_10_07-30-2026_110552:

Yeah, I'm sure we can, but if

456

it's good, we're gonna keep it in

457

kait-topham--municipality-of-strathroy-caradoc--she-her-_2_07-30-2026_110552:

So if I were to say like it's

458

a disorder, that can be cut.

459

So I think part of this project went

so well because of the relationship

460

that we were able to develop with

Lauren, but also with Julianne, who

461

was the BIA coordinator at the time.

462

She's moved on to other things, but

we still have her in the group chat,

463

and we text her all of our ideas and

she-- we bounce everything off of her.

464

But the three of us just

want to do good things.

465

We want to see good things.

466

We want to be a part of good things.

467

So to do that, we have

to keep a good attitude.

468

There's always gonna

be things that happen.

469

There are always gonna be things that

make us think, like we should stop.

470

Like, let's just put an

end to it and move on.

471

But we keep doing good stuff, so

we will keep doing good stuff.

472

And again, it's that

you gotta manifest it.

473

The weather has to be good and so do the

people, and that's kind of where we're at

474

lauren-huston---she-her-_2_07-30-2026_110552:

Yeah, I think the three of us just

475

kind of have such a we're gonna do it

attitude that nothing could stop us.

476

We wanted to do this,

nothing could stop us.

477

The ideas just kept flowing.

478

Like, I think our brainstorm

list is, like, 18,000 miles long.

479

And we'll get, we'll get to it all

throughout the years, for sure.

480

But yeah, we're all just

so, like, community-focused.

481

We all care so much about the arts.

482

We've all been involved in community

for such a long time, and it's such a

483

big part of not only, like, our jobs

but also just who we are as people.

484

And then to be able to, like, bring,

I think, three of those energies

485

together, it just, like, we can do

anything, it's truly just that vibe.

486

kait-topham--municipality-of-strathroy-caradoc--she-her-_2_07-30-2026_110552:

There were a few times last year during

487

the planning where we'd have to be

like, "Okay, we can't do it all, but

488

lauren-huston---she-her-_2_07-30-2026_110552:

Yeah.

489

kait-topham--municipality-of-strathroy-caradoc--she-her-_2_07-30-2026_110552:

next year we could."

490

So

491

lauren-huston---she-her-_2_07-30-2026_110552:

Yeah, we're like, "We don't have time

492

this year, but keep it on the list."

493

kait-topham--municipality-of-strathroy-caradoc--she-her-_2_07-30-2026_110552:

Yeah.

494

mason-ainsworth_10_07-30-2026_110552:

I love that, and I, I think that's

495

a good way to go about things.

496

I know myself, and I'm not sure if it's

just my creative side or the ADHD, 'cause

497

sometimes it just comes together and

there's so much where you're like, "Oh,

498

like this would be really cool," or like,

"How have we not tried this before?"

499

But you can't do everything at

the end of the day in that moment.

500

So I think what you're doing with,

you know, creating that list and

501

looking towards, hey, you know, how

can we continue to make this better

502

in the future is really crucial.

503

But also that, you know, it's clear,

like anybody listening, that positive

504

attitude that you folks have, and I think

that really goes towards, you know, if

505

you look for those things, you know,

you mentioned positive manifestation.

506

If you're looking for the positive

and you're looking for, hey, you know,

507

like this thing's gonna be successful,

and like everyone's gonna have a

508

good time and it's gonna be really

great, those are, you know, going back

509

to what you said earlier, the vibe

within the event and the community.

510

And if you have a lot of folks who

are on that same, I would say like

511

wavelength, most likely things are gonna

go pretty well and it's gonna be great.

512

But if you have the opposite of like,

hey, like nobody's gonna show up and

513

like, oh, the weather's gonna be awful,

or like this and that, I think a lot of

514

the times you're gonna just move in that

direction, which is really unfortunate.

515

So I think that, you know, mind over

matter is really crucial, and I know

516

some people think that's hokey, but

I think if you're, you know, positive

517

and you're looking for those positive

things, that you're gonna find them.

518

So there's no question in my mind why

you folks are award winners, and I'm--

519

not be shocked if I, you know, saw you

on the stage next year at the conference.

520

So definitely get involved.

521

Make sure you get your submissions

in there, and I'm wishing you all

522

the best, and thank you so much

for taking the time to join us on

523

the "Hyperlocal" podcast today.

524

kait-topham--municipality-of-strathroy-caradoc--she-her-_2_07-30-2026_110552:

Thank you so much for having us.

525

This has been great.

526

We're super happy that we are part

of the EDCO award-winning group now.

527

It's really exciting, and I will recommend

if you are going to the EDCO conference

528

next year to request the Toronto Maple

Leaf Superfan room, because we were given

529

that this year, and it's just incredible.

530

I can't, can't describe how great it is

531

lauren-huston---she-her-_2_07-30-2026_110552:

I'll echo that.

532

The room was amazing, and the

awards overall were amazing, and

533

the organization is amazing, and

Kibbles & Culture is amazing, and

534

this podcast has been amazing.

535

Thank you so much for having us.

536

mason-ainsworth_10_07-30-2026_110552:

Yeah, my absolute pleasure.

537

Thank you for bringing uh, such

great work to your communities

538

and for also making me smile today

539

Speaker 6: Thank you to our guests

for sharing their story today.

540

What a fantastic episode of the EDCO Award

Winners: The Deep Dive, a special series

541

from Hyperlocal in partnership with the

Economic Developers Council of Ontario.

542

If you found this valuable, follow

Hyperlocal wherever you get your podcasts

543

and stay tuned for more conversations