A tiny bit of new history was made Wednesday at the Ermatinger-Clergue National Historic Site.
Sault Ste. Marie's historic sites board met there, in the first face-to-face meeting of any city board or commission since COVID-19 restrictions came into effect almost four months ago.
One day, it just might be remembered as the Sault's first post-COVID, non-digital civic gathering.
The meeting was originally planned to take place in open-sided tents on the site's front lawn.
But 3.8 millimetres of rain that fell between 7 and 8 a.m. turned the soil into soup, forcing board members into a theatre inside the Heritage Discovery Centre.
Board members learned that organizers of Poutine Feast, the world's largest travelling poutine festival, have so far not ruled out events in many communities in 2020.
Last year's four-day Sault Ste. Marie Poutine Feast at Ermatinger-Clergue National Historic Site exceeded anyone's expectations.
This year, it was to have happened over the July 1 weekend, but was postponed because of pandemic precautions.
But Ashlyn McMillan from the Downtown Association confirmed to SooToday on Wednesday that discussions are currently being held with the city about bringing Poutine Feast back to the Ermatinger-Clergue site either in September or October.
The possibility of a strictly distanced August blueberry event is also being explored, Ermatinger-Clergue curator Kathy Fisher said.
Members of the historic sites board all wore masks entering the meeting room on Wednesday, most removing them once they were properly distanced and seated.
The single exception to the masking protocol was Ward 3 Coun. Matthew Shoemaker.
"We had been advised that the meeting would be held outside under the tents and so I did not believe it was necessary to wear one in the open air, given we were also expecting to be physically distant," Shoemaker took pains to email us after the meeting.
"It was only once I got there that I came to learn the meeting had moved inside and I hadn't brought a mask with me, expecting to be outside."
"A lesson learned: always bring a mask with you, whether you expect to need it or not."
Shoemaker said he wears a mask "practically always" these days.
