organization (a Methodist camp) was established in 1859 in Grimsby Park on land donated by J.B. Bowslaugh; colourful cottages were later built and some visitors spent entire summers in the area. Two hotels and a temple were also built. Over 50,000 visited in 1884 but by 1900 interest had declined. By 1909 the Grimsby Park Company was bankrupt and the property was sold for use as an amusement park. The temple and hotels were destroyed in the 1920s. In 1910, the amusement park's first owner, Harry Wylie, added carousels, a motion picture theater, and a roller coaster. Canada Steamship Lines bought out the business in 1916, but the park declined through the 1920s, mainly due to multiple fires that consumed many of the wooden buildings. Operation had ceased by 1950 and the land was sold to developers who built cottages. Many of the colourful cottages were destroyed by fire or demolished over the years. As of 2019, Grimsby Pier, where ferries and steamships had once docked, was in a state of disrepair; the mayor said he hoped that it could be restored. In 2011, Grimsby was struck by an F0 Tornado. Grimsby is also the birthplace of a Hollywood director, Del Lord. He rose to acclaim as the director of most of the Three Stooges short vaudeville comedies. Later, under Columbia Pictures, he also directed nearly 200 feature films. Local government Grimsby Town Council is composed of a Mayor and eight Councillors who serve for a term of four years. The Mayor is elected at large and the Councillors are elected by ward. The town is divided into four wards with two Councillors elected in each ward. It is the role of Council to represent the public and to consider the well-being and interests of the municipality; to develop and evaluate policies and programs; to determine which services the municipality provides; to ensure administrative practices and procedures are in place to implement the decisions of Council; and to maintain the financial integrity of the municipality. The Council generally meets on the first and third Mondays of each month. All meetings are open to the public and are also televised live on the local Government-access television (GATV) cable TV channel. The current council (2018-2022 term) was sworn in on December 3, 2018, with the following members: Mayor Jeff A. Jordan Town Council Members Ward 1 Councillor Reg Freake Councillor Delight Davoli