Historically, the town crier was a full-time position in many towns, announcing proclamations and other
news for their community. These days, it is largely a ceremonial function, opening major events,
introducing dignitaries, and generally lending an element of pageantry to special occasions.
As a goodwill ambassador, the town crier should be the embodiment of the culture and best personality
of the community that they represent. Like the mayor, they are expected to portray the good
character of their community in face-to-face interactions, and must maintain the respect and high
ideals of their office at all times.
There is no standard procedure for being appointed town crier. Some municipalities decide to
hold a competition, some simply appoint a suitable volunteer. The logistics are a bit chicken-and-egg:
a very important component of the role is the livery (or uniform). A township is going to want a
professional image presented by their town crier, and will likely want to see that look upfront.
Putting an authentic costume together is a very expensive proposition, and few people are going to be
in a position to do that without some excellent prospects of being able to put it to use.
Depending on how authentic and detailed the look is to be and what period is to be represented, the
hat, frock coat, footwear, and wig can easily run into the thousands of dollars.
In order to join the Ontario Guild of Town Criers, one must be officially appointed by the municipality
that you intend to represent. (An official appointment is also a prerequisite to participate in
the many town crier competitions held around the world.) The Guild has a code of ethics intended
to help maintain the high standards of conduct and integrity that they associate with such an honourable
position in the community. It also covers how to resolve conflicts over town crier 'territories'
and other such practical matters.
In my case, a formal appointment as the official Town Crier for the Town of Caledon took
months of
discussions, Request For Proposal procedures, applications, auditions, etc. On the other hand,
once the Town of Erin was aware of my services and interest, my appointment by Erin Town Council took
less than a week.
Is this a paying position or is it volunteer?
These days, town criers are typically paid by appearance, although free 'crys' for charitable events are
very often a large part of their duties. One of the first modern-day town criers in North America was
Peter Cox in Halifax, Nova Scotia (where I grew up). His duties, which included regularly welcoming
passengers from cruise ships, were so prolific that the municipality paid him an annual stipend in addition
to his freelance town crier fees, however this is not the norm. My personal motivation has very
little to do with the potential income. I suspect that the majority of town criers, myself included,
charge an appearance fee on a sliding scale simply to help cover the costs of creating and maintaining their
livery to the highest standard possible.
What would your fee be to appear at a function?
Appearance and Proclamation fees are determined on a case-by-case basis. We must take into account
the type of appearance and associated duties, the status of the event host (charity, public sector, private
sector, individual), costs (such as travel and uniform cleaning), event budget, public and media exposure,
etc. The typical range runs from free to about $300. Please contact us for a
no-obligation quote for a Town Crier appearance at your event.
What does a Town Crier say?
A Town Crier's 'cry' (or proclamation) often begins with the ringing of a hand bell to summon people around
and get their attention. Three loud shouts of "Oyez!" (an old word meaning "please listen")
are traditionally the first words spoken. After that, each cry is custom tailored to each and every
event. Because the Town Crier always begins by gathering people's interest, it is nearly always the
case that the Town Crier will be the first to speak at ceremonial functions. If it is an occasion of
municipal significance, there will often be a greeting from the Mayor, whom the Town Crier represents.
After that, the proclamation will share any important information about the event, perhaps some interesting
trivia, etc. If there is a dignitary or Master of Ceremonies to be speaking next, they will often be
introduced by the Town Crier. Cries might be anywhere from 100 to 250 words long, and traditionally
end with the words "God Save the Queen!". The Town Crier will work with you to create appropriate
content for your event.
Where did/will your outfit come from?
The story behind my outfit(s) has some interesting twists and turns, so I have now devoted a
full page to it.
Why does Caledon need a town crier?
Caledon does not need a town crier. If they did, they'd have one already. So why do
dozens of other Ontario municipalities (and cities around the world) have an appointed town crier?
Because they took advantage of the opportunity to have one when that person rose to the occasion.
From a financial perspective, it is essentially a volunteer position, and a wonderful addition to any
town. If an appropriate person is willing to take on the role, it is an absolute win-win for both
parties.
The position of town crier is an honourable profession dating back hundreds of years. In modern times,
it is a way to instantly bring a measure of heritage and pageantry to important civic events. For many
small municipalities, a town crier can be like their own tiny Eiffel Tower or Sydney Opera House - a small
photo-friendly way for a community to say that we welcome visitors, greet them as important guests, and have
fun events for them to come and be a part of. It is also true that the town crier's primary function
and benefit remains unchanged: a good town crier is an excellent way to get people to stop, pay attention,
and receive important messages. Recognizing this, Caledon has had town criers at events before, but
the Town has had to bring them in from other municipalities such as Orangeville, Brampton, Richmond Hill, etc.
Why were you selected to be Caledon's and Erin's official Town Crier?
The most obvious prerequisite for the office of town crier is the voice. A town crier must be able
to project their message vocally and without amplification, in a manner that is clear and understood over
a large area. Simply yelling out announcements is not going to do it. You have to be able to
enunciate and time your words so that they are both accurately heard and received with the intended
inflection to keep the listeners engaged and interested. This also has to be done in a manner that
will allow the crier to repeat the task more than once on the same day.
For the past thirty years, my theatre training
has always focused on voice work. (Having a mother
who taught opera and a sometime thespian father, I have been blessed with some good genes.) Of all
my time spent developing that asset, my hours spent learning from giants such as David Smukler (Canada's
foremost vocal teacher) have been my absolute favourite. To use my voice is to do what I love.
When I had my first opportunity to take on the rigorous demands of this role outside the historic Alton
Mill, I was not certain how it would go. The temperature was minus 18 and while a number of people
had come outside to watch, most of the festival crowd were staying indoors. I was thrilled to
learn that people in the basement and at the upstairs back of the two-storey stone building claimed to
have stopped what they were doing and heard every word clearly. I still have a great deal to learn
about the office of town crier, but I think I'm on the right path.
However there is more to being a town crier than just the ability to be heard, having a great outfit,
and being available for the flexible days and times required. Town criers are also expected to
write their own material. A significant portion of the judging in town crier competitions is in
the evaluation of message content. Style, humour, engaging alliteration, and other elements are
all important parts of holding the audience's interest and bringing the right tone to whatever event
the crier is appearing at. As I hope you might be able to guess by now, wordcraft is another
thing that I enjoy - especially in an age where many seem to struggle to "string a sentence together
with a needle and thread".
I am also deeply committed to some of the high ideals that the Town of Caledon strives for as a
municipality: responsible and sustainable practices for its citizens now and for generations in the
future. As for Erin, it is a fantastically complete small town with a great diversity of shops
and services, and even its own independent radio station, all on one of the nicest main streets in
Ontario. I look forward to the opportunity to represent Caledon and Erin and serve these
communities in a manner uniquely suited to my talents and interests.
How did this all come about?
Although the idea has been roosting in the back of my mind for a number of years - probably ever since
Orangeville appointed a town crier, this particular initiative was conceived around Christmas,
2010. Here is what happened after that:
December, 2010 - Idea conceived and presented to councillors
January 22, 2011 - First unofficial appearance
January 29 - Mayor attends second appearance and suggests a meeting to discuss appointment
March 30 - Meeting with Mayor and town staff takes place - Andrew submits full proposal
May 17 - Town Council passes
a motion
to explore town crier concept with Request For Proposals (RFP)
July 12 - 28-page RFP issued by Town of Caledon
- later amended twice due to applicant concerns
July 27 - 2-part 18-page response submitted to Town (4 copies) in 2 sealed envelopes - only Part 1 unsealed by staff
July 29 - Respondent is 'auditioned' in an empty hockey arena before a committee of 5 town staff
August 5 - First round of scoring completed - 2nd envelope (with event quote, etc.) unsealed
August 12 - Second round of scoring completed
September - Staff report submitted to Town Council
September 27 - Official appointment motion is passed by Town Council
What's the latest news?
I finally completed a very extensive appointment process with the Town of Caledon last September, as
summarized above, and have also been appointed by the Town of Erin (in a
dramatically shorter process)! I also now a full member of the
Ontario Guild of Town Criers (OGTC). Since I
could not join the Guild until after my official appointment, this would normally
mean that the many OGTC events would not have been open to me last summer. However, I
am extremely grateful
that, thanks to the generous support of some OGTC members, the Guild invited me to
participate in some of these events, in order that I may begin the long task of learning the
craft and becoming a better representative of the Town of Caledon and Erin.
As a result, I had the honour of being invited to participate (as an intern) in my very first
town crier competition in Bracebridge on July 10. It was a huge learning experience and
a wonderful welcome to the fellowship, as I was introduced to 14 of my colleagues from around
the province and south of the border. I am proud to report that I placed fourth in the
competition - just a single point from third and five points behind the current world
champion (Chris Whyman) out of 200 possible points.
More recently, I had the privilege to deliver two benchmark cries as a Guest Crier at the
Ontario Provincial Championships in Brantford on August 12. This was a great opportunity
to meet even more of the seasoned professionals who make up the Guild, and who do Ontario proud
around the world.
Now that I am the Official Town Crier for Caledon (until November 2014), I will soon be announcing a
schedule of appearances at Town-sponsored events. Meanwhile, I continue to make
appearances on behalf of organizations, non-profits, and businesses,
whenever appropriate events take place.
I am even busier as Official Town Crier for the Town of Erin, since the Business Improvement
Association and many local retailers are very keen to use my services.
How can I contact the Town Crier?
Email: TownCrier @ AndrewWelch.ca
Telephone: 416-907-2076 (home office) OR 519-940-3439 (Alton residence)
FAX: On demand - call above numbers for fax arrangements
Postal address: 57 Mary Street, Alton, Ontario, L7K 0E3, Canada
Copyright © 2011-12, Andrew Welch, Intellact