Vankleek Hill is celebrating 225 years of history, and the Vankleek Hill Historical Society is planning a year’s worth of events to celebrate. The HOPE 225 project has already delivered a brand-new logo for the town, unveiled by Champlain Township council on January 13, and event organizers are invited to use the new logo on promotional items. Designed by Pleasant Corner Public School seventh-grader Reagan Hall, the logo features the Higginson Tower and the main theme of the celebration, ‘Hope’.
“We are exiting the pandemic in a disciplined manner, with hope for how we rebuild and move forward,” said Denis Seguin, a director at the Vankleek Hill Historical Society. “Here we are, 225 years later, and hope is what unites us in building bridges to new understandings of what represents our community.”
“The 225th anniversary of the Town of Vankleek Hill, so well known for its numerous events and beautiful architecture, is a great start to 2022,” said Mayor Normand Riopel. “I am sure HOPE 225/ESPOIR 225 will be greatly celebrated by all our citizens of Champlain. Congratulations to Miss Reagan Hall on her creativity and beautiful artwork on winning the logo contest.”
Seguin is hopeful that health restrictions will ease by mid-year and allow events to proceed unhindered. Even if restrictions stay in place, he says events will proceed in some fashion as long as sponsors work together and communicate their plans with each other.
“Residents of the community are looking forward to a return to the many regular events that are held each year throughout the summer, after two years of COVID-19 forcing the cancellation of most events,” Seguin said. “The name HOPE 225/ESPOIR225 for the celebration comes from the fact that there is hope for a return to all events in 2022.”
Upcoming events will be listed on the website and social media for the Township and the Vankleek Hill Museum. More information on the HOPE 225 project will be released in the coming months.
