Chatham-Kent's municipal town crier is celebrating a quarter century of service this year.
But 25 years later, George Sims isn't ready to retire from all the pomp and circumstance — just yet.
It's a position Sims has held since 1991. He says it all started with a little encouragement from his family.
"My daughter and my wife saw in the [newspaper] a town crier contest, and they decided that maybe I should enter that because I'm kind of the holler guy on all the sports teams and coaching and things of this nature," says Sims. "They've regretted it ever since," he jokes.
Sims says his job description has changed over the years to reflect the fact that when he first put on the uniform, not very many people knew what exactly his role was.
"Pretty well now, it's ceremonial situations. They use the town crier as a form of advertising for businesses, et cetera," he says. "It works out not too badly. It's a colourful addition."
Sims says he doesn't plan to retire until at least after the International Plowing Match in 2018.
And for those looking to fill his shoes, he's not presently grooming a successor.
"Anybody who wants the job, I'll show them what to do, and then they'll say, 'Oh gee, you've done all that? I don't want to do that,'" he says.
-With files from Cheryl Johnstone.
