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Macoun celebrates a man who was a big part of the village

The village of Macoun paid tribute to a man who was a big part of the community for many years during the Denis Kuntz Memorial Day on Saturday. A parade, a softball tournament, a 50-50 draw, a raffle and other attractions were part of the day.

The village of Macoun paid tribute to a man who was a big part of the community for many years during the Denis Kuntz Memorial Day on Saturday.

A parade, a softball tournament, a 50-50 draw, a raffle and other attractions were part of the day.

The event opened with a parade that had about 50 entries, said Mayor Glenys Baerg.

“The parade was awesome,” said Baerg. “We had two sprayers that some boys brought in, and they put them across main street (Appleton Avenue) with a big sign in memory of Denis Kuntz, with his picture.”

Old tractors and antique vehicles were part of the parade. Also included were 17 entries of Kuntz’s memorabilia from the Prairie Preserves Museum south of the village.

Also during the day, there was a softball tournament that attracted eight teams and lasted into Sunday. Hamel Toes finished first, followed by Back Door Sliders and The Meat.

Don Anderson won the 50-50 draw, and Chanse Wiens of Macoun won the bicycle raffle. The prize was a pink electric bicycle and matching helmet.

“We sold 300 tickets, and we sold them all within three days,” said Baerg.

A trade show also featured a variety of vendors with a lot of customers.

Macoun has traditionally held a community event, with activities, during the summer months, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it had to be pushed back to the fall.

Then they decided to use the event to pay tribute to Kuntz, who died in September 2019.

Baerg noted that this is expected to be the one time the event will be named after Kuntz.

It’s also the first time it was held in the fall.

She was pleased that the village could have something in honour of Kuntz.

“Every year he would put his equipment and his old cars (on display for the public),” said Baerg.

An evening social had to be called off due to COVID-19 restrictions.

In a letter, Kuntz’s daughter Stacy Martin wrote that he was born and raised in Macoun and was part of the community for about 74 years. He farmed for a few years, then worked in pipelining.

The Prairie Preserves Museum was established in 1994.

“From there, it progressed into a great passion of his,” Martin said.

And while everyone that knew him knew he was stubborn and opinionated, they also knew he had a kind heart. Many friendships were made over the years through work, antiques and other endeavours.

“We, his family, miss and love him daily,” said Martin, who thanked the community for their support over the past year.