(Photo is below – from left to right: Brian Mabee crier for Gananoque (host), Cragg (dressed in Tom McMillan’s livery), Chris Whyman (Kingston), Bill McKee (Uxbridge, Port Perry and Oshawa) and Jenn Olivero of Hanover (Guild president).
By Cecilia Nasmith/Today’s Northumberland
For a town crier, it’s quite a journey from I’m-retiring-now to second place in provincial competition, but Alnwick-Haldimand Township’s Liam Cragg has done it.
Stepping back from his January 2024 decision to step down, Cragg has continued to delight others with his ringing voice at everything from civic events to roles in VOS productions. He also won the Muskoka Escapades Town Crier Competition last summer, the longest continuing town criers’ competition in North America.
Cragg announced his intention to retire from the role early last year for one simple reason.
“I am not immortal,” he explained.
As he approached the seven-decade mark, he thought it would be appropriate to mentor someone younger. He put out the call for potential candidates but, of the handful of those expressing interest, one was too old, one was too busy with a young family, and one ghosted him after initially expressing an interest.
Cragg himself took up the town crier’s bell in 2016 when he retired to the farm in Grafton where his parents Peter and Carol Cragg had lived, and took to it much as a duck might take to water. He has a wealth of information and experiences to share, all conveyed with the greatest of enthusiasm.
For example, he said, there are some 400 criers world-wide, and the Ontario Guild of Town Criers (with 33 members) is the largest guild outside of the one in the United Kingdom – boasting even more members than the entire USA Guild.
Chris Whyman, to whom Cragg placed second in Gananoque at the recent provincial meet, is the Town Crier for Kingston. He is a charter member of the Ontario guild, with 40 years under his greatcoat.
The longest-serving crier in Canada is Daniel Richer of the Ottawa-Gatineau District at 45 years. He is also worthy of note, Cragg said because he won the provincials in 2019 – the year Cobourg and Grafton jointly hosted the competition.
“Of the 14 criers who competed in Gananoque, eight had previously won the provincial title,” he noted. And many of them came with distinctions.
Whyman is a three-time world champion, with eight provincial wins to his credit.
Then there are brothers Bill McKee and David McKee of Brantford. Each has won the provincial competition seven times.
“This is my second time on the provincial podium. I was third in 2023 behind David McKee and Chris Whyman,” Cragg added.
For many local residents, the late Tom MacMillan still holds a fond place in their memories, crying at public events, making himself available free of charge for other occasions (such as weddings), and standing outside Victoria Hall each spring to cry in and announce prom attendees. He was also a regular on the competition circuit.
Cragg recently arranged his own tribute to MacMillan by wearing his signature blue-and-yellow greatcoat when he was cast as Admiral Boom in the VOS production of Mary Poppins.
This iconic piece is part of their prodigious wardrobe cupboard and, knowing the Gananoque competition was coming up, he asked if he could borrow it for that weekend, just to see if anyone would recognize it. A few did, he reported.
“Bringing that out brought a few smiles,” he said.
Cragg has since had it dry-cleaned and returned to the VOS cupboard, but he is thinking of borrowing it again for September, when he will report to New Glasgow, NS, for the international competition (at which a few criers from Great Britain will be present).
Between now and then, he has a full schedule, featuring one event very special to him as a farmer – the June 22 celebration of 25 years in business for the PrimRose Donkey Sanctuary in Roseneath.
He is filling in for the double-booked Ottawa town crier June 4 for the Cutest Pet in Ottawa competition, and for the double-booked Cobourg town crier June 20 at the Cobourg and District Sports Hall of Fame induction banquet.
Closer to home, he’ll be crying at a Grafton Public School event June 20 and the township’s parade and civic-awards ceremony June 29.
And, of course, he’ll be defending champion Aug. 9 at the Muskoka event.
Then it’s on to New Glasgow Sept. 18 to 21.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
