Emo, Ontario

Emo
—  Township  —
Emo
Coordinates: 48°38′N 93°50′W
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
District	Rainy River
Settled	1880s
Incorporated	1899
Government
• Type	Township
• Mayor	Vince Sheppard
• Federal riding	Thunder Bay—Rainy River
• Prov. riding	Kenora—Rainy River
Area
• Land	203.54 km2 (78.6 sq mi)
Population (2006)
• Total	1,305
• Density	6.4/km2 (16.6/sq mi)
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Postal code	P0W 1E0
Area code(s)	807
Website	www.emo.ca

For other uses of "Emo", see Emo (disambiguation).

Emo is a small rural township, located near the Rainy River in northwestern Ontario, Canada, directly north of the state of Minnesota. Emo had a population of 1,305 in the Canada 2006 Census.

It is known for its stock car races, its picturesque, family-friendly waterfront park, the annual Rainy River Agricultural Fair (cattle industry is key in the area) and the Emo Walleye Classic fishing tournament.

History

Emo was officially created on July 1, 1899, and celebrated its centennial in 1999. Emo's first reeve was Alexander Luttrell, an Irishman who named the town after a namesake village in Ireland near where he was born.

The council was composed of Charles Fisher, John Dungey, Benjamin Phillips, and Thomas Shortreed. Emo is located in the Rainy River District. The current Mayor is Vince Sheppard, while Robert Simmons, Gary Judson, Anthony Leek, and Vernon Thompson are councillors. They were elected in 2010, with Judson being re-elected. Elections are held every four years, in October.

Amenities

Emo is near two bridges to the United States, one at Fort Frances (approximately a 30-minute drive) and the other at Rainy River (about 40 minutes by road). It is identified in many cycling resources as an excellent overnight stopping point because of the facilities (shelter, showers and bathrooms) available in the waterfront park.

There are many volunteer groups and a strong sense of community in Emo. In Emo's Lion's Park, a picturesque riverfront area, a new play structure was funded through volunteer fundraising efforts, and a 2005-2006 fiscal year grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation [1]. The park is also home to the Emo Spray Park, a $500,000 community-driven project completed in July 2010. A safe way for kids to engage in water play, the spray park attracts thousands of visitors in the summertime.

The Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps 144 Fort Frances meet in Emo, led by Lieutenant Terry Newman.

The spring brings the opening of the walleye fishing season, and the annual Emo Walleye Classic.

The Emo Speedway draws race participants and fans from the central United States, Northwestern Ontario and Manitoba. The track is a 600-metre, high-banked dirt oval track which operates every Saturday from May through Mid-September.

Emo is also home to five different religious denominations, including Knox United Church of Canada, as well as Baptist, Catholic, Anglican and Christian Reformed churches.

Initially located in private homes of local women, the town library was moved to the schoolhouse in 1940 and to its own building in the 50s.

Demographics

Population trend:

• Population in 2006: 1305
• Population in 2001: 1331
• Population in 1996: 1366
• Population in 1991: 1275

Emo Walleye Classic

The Emo Walleye Classic is a two-day catch and release fishing tournament held annually in Emo, during the final week of May each year. It takes place on the Rainy River, which marks the border between Minnesota and Ontario.

Upwards of sixty Canadian and American teams of two participate each year, each paying a participation fee ($600 in 2009). An organizing committee and many local volunteers assist at the event, and many local businesses and individuals sponsor the event.

On each morning of the tournament, anglers head upstream and downstream from the Emo waterfront to their chosen fishing spots. The weigh-ins are held in the evenings at the Emo/LaVallee Community Centre where results are posted live. On the final day of the tournament, the top ten teams from day one are brought into the arena with their boats.

Classic history

The tournament began in 2002 with forty-four participating teams, and has grown since then, with sixty-five teams competing in 2009. The first winners were Harvey Cochrane and Oliver Gibbons who won as a result of the leading team having three fish over the legal size. In 2008 Doug McBride of Devlin, Ontario and Steve Ballan of Fort Frances, Ontario became the first team to win the tournament twice.

Past winners

• 2011: Rod Woodgate and Dylan Swire; Weight: 19.67 lbs
• 2010: Bill Godin and Ralph Galusha; Weight: 11.32 lbs
• 2009: Ted Heyens and Kelvin Caul; Weight: 24.98 lbs
• 2008: Doug McBride and Steve Ballan; Weight: 24.89 lbs
• 2007: Bill Godin and Ralph Galusha; Weight: 19.47 lbs
• 2006: Todd Grennier and Eric Lessman; Weight: 16.12 lbs
• 2005: Doug McBride and Steve Ballan; Weight: 25.82 lbs
• 2004: Dale Hartlin and Dan Pollard; Weight: 20.28 lbs
• 2003: Todd Baker and Greg Stahn; Weight: 19.22 lbs
• 2002: Harvey Cochrane and Oliver Gibbons; Weight: 15.00 lbs

Records

Biggest fish 

2005 Tournament - Day 2 - Doug McBride and Steve Ballan: 10.02 lbs

Biggest catch 

2005 Tournament - Day 2 - Doug McBride and Steve Ballan: 15.06 lbs

Highest tournament two-day total 

2005 Tournament - Doug McBride and Steve Ballan: 25.82 lbs

External links

• Township of Emo
• Emo Walleye Classic
• Rainy River Agricultural Fair
• The Town Public library
• Emo Speedway
• Knox United Church