L-R: Founding members of The Hub, Fern Martin, Julia Thomas, Elaine Madore and Ann Brown, are all ready to cut the cakes for the 50 th Birthday celebration on Thursday, May 31 st , 2024.
A bustling crowd turned out at 118 Mill Street for The Hub’s 50 th birthday last Thursday. Children to elders and everyone in between filled the store with excitement and laughter. They were all set to party! People got right into the festive spirit with punch and cake. Old and new friends gathered to mark this major milestone. Once again, this Almonte thrift store proved itself to be a vital hub in our community.
People were milling around the store by mid-morning and stayed well after the party kick-off bell was rung to browse for bargains and take part in the fun. Everything in the store was 50% off and lots of things were 50 cents or less! By 11:00, there was quite the hubbub! Founding members Ann Brown, Elaine Madore and Fern Martin gathered with knives readied to cut the cake and then discovered that Julia Thomas had gone missing! President Janet Duncan calmed the crowd and a few moments later a big cheer erupted when Julia arrived with her enthusiasm – all ready to do the cake honours and get the party rolling! And roll it did!
There were lots of children at the birthday party. Parents and caregivers arrived with kids who were thrilled to be off on a PD day to shop at the Hub, their favourite thrift store. They chose books and toys and were elated that their handful of coins went even further than usual to get them a bag full of treasures. Many little ones went home with icing on their faces and clothing to show that a sweet time was had by all!
Janet Duncan (middle), President of the ACC, wouldn’t miss the birthday party
despite a recent knee replacement surgery! She was all smiles with long-time
board member/treasurer, volunteer and toys coordinator, Mary Ellen Petrunewich
(L) and founding member Ann Brown (R).
The gorgeous cakes made by Baker Bob had kids of all ages coming back for more.
Colourful bouquets from Acanthus added to the party décor.
The cakes told some of the birthday story. Barb Cotterill recently created a Hub’s
50th Birthday book mark and those details fill in the rest of the facts that put the
icing on the cakes for 2023-24:
- Since 1974, The Hub has donated more than $1.4 million to Almonte and
North Lanark - Over $134,000 was donated to our community in 2023 by the Almonte
Community Coordinators (ACC), the board that runs The Hub/Rebound - 5 enduring organizations/places/supports were started by The Hub
volunteers: Lanark Interval House, Rebound, Mark’s Outlook, Hub
Hospice/Home Hospice North Lanark, The Betty Neill Endowment Fund and
5 bursaries for post-secondary studies - 350+ tonnes of material has been diverted from landfill
- 500+ volunteers have worked with us
- 100+ community organizations in Mississippi Mills / Lanark County have been supported by our donations. All of those accomplishments and more gave the crowd at the Hub many reasons to celebrate 50 years of accomplishments by the Hub/ACC in our
community!
Foreground L to R: Eloise Caverson, Tove Hunding, Mary Lou Souter, Fern Martin,
Elaine Madore and Ann Brown were pleased as punch with the huge turnout for the birthday party!
The volunteers at the cash were kept busy all day. Many Hub staff and volunteers
as well as members of the ACC were delighted with the celebration.
L-R Janet Noyes-Brown and Ingrid Hamster were two of The Hub’s 50th birthday WOW guests on Thursday.
Ingrid was still glowing after the sensational success of Razzmatazz, The Hub’s “50 Years of Fabulous” Fashion Show, that was held on May 5 at the Almonte Civitan hall. Razzmatazz dazzled over 275 people – a sellout performance! The model team, Eloise Caverson, Ingrid Hamster, Gloria Helde, Donna Caldwell, Renate Kordos, Darrell Graham and JoAnn Boissoneault, coordinated the outstanding show with helping hands and runway sensations drawn from Hub volunteers and the wider community.
They chose over 100 outfits and accessories from The Hub racks to match the themes with fashions spanning 50 years. They added rocking music and Janet Duncan kept the crowd entertained with the clever script and her timely jokes. The team added many magic touches and a few fun surprises to make the show a sparkly, shiny Razzmatazz! Almonte is beyond lucky to have so many wonderful, talented people volunteering at The Hub and Rebound.
More WOW Hub volunteers and community supporters: L-R Bill Janes, Gunda
Kutyma, Paddy Vargas beside her Mom, Julia Thomas, and Debbie Pilote enjoyed
cake and chatting at the Hub’s 50th birthday.
L-R Doreen O”Meara, Elaine Madore, Julia Thomas and Elaine’s niece, Barb Mcphail
said, “Cheers to 50 years!” at The Hub celebration
There’s no telling what The Hub / Rebound and ACC family of volunteers will
build, support or create in the next 50 years to make Mississippi Mills and Lanark
County an even better and more exciting place to live! Happy 50 th Birthday to all
involved and keep up the wonderful work!
