Sudbury hosts Stompin' Tom Connors statue fundraiser

Fundraising efforts continue this weekend to bring a life-size bronze sculpture of Stompin' Tom Connorsto Sudbury's downtown.

A group called the Stompin' Tom Connors Commemorative Committee unveiled details about the sculpture in February at the Townehouse Tavern one of the many places across Canada where Connors wrote songs.

• Stompin' Tom Connors bronze statue on its way to Sudbury

The group isfundraisingto pay for the $50,000 project.

On Saturday night, it will hold a fundraising event at Sudbury's Boardwalk Gaming Centre and the Townehouse Tavern. For a $25 dollar ticket, people can play bingo and then listen to music by Stompin' Jon, a Stompin' Tom tribute artist.

The executive director of the Downtown Sudbury Development Corporation and a member of the committeesaid she's hoping the Stompin' Tom statuewill be the first of many public art pieces in downtown Sudbury.

"I think [the statue] also becomes a destination. I think there will definitely be people from all over [who], when they come to Sudbury, are going to come downtown and they're going to see the Stompin' Tom bronze statue," Maureen Luoma said.

Sudbury-based sculptor Tyler Fauvelle has been working on the piece.

"Stompin' Tom was a popular folk-country artist, a vocal supporter of Canadian culture, and an uncompromising patriot," he said.

"This sculpture could be anywhere, because Stompin' Tom was everywhere, singing extraordinary stories about ordinary people."

Born in Saint John and partially raised in Skinner's Pond, P.E.I., Stompin' Tom began hitchhiking across the country in his early teens. He worked odd jobs as he wandered from town to town, with his musical career and prolific song catalog inspired by the people he met, the places he visited and his fierce pride in Canadian events and history.

Tickets for the fundraising event on Saturday are available 84 Station Coffee Shop at 84 Elm St., Jean Country at 17-135 Regional Road 24 in Lively and Artists on Elgin at 168 Elgin St.