Emo, Ontario, is a charming rural township nestled along the Rainy River in the southwestern corner of northern Ontario, Canada. This small community, located directly north of the U.S. border and the state of Minnesota, is known for its stock car races, family-friendly waterfront park, annual Rainy River Agricultural Fair, and the Emo Walleye Classic fishing tournament.
Emo was officially established on July 1, 1899, and celebrated its centennial in 1999. The town's first reeve was Alexander Luttrell, an Irishman who named the town after his birthplace in Ireland. The council was composed of Charles Fisher, John Dungey, Benjamin Phillips, and Thomas Shortreed. The post office, Emo River, dates back to 1887.
Emo experiences a humid continental climate with extreme temperature differences between summer and winter. The daily mean difference between January and July can be as much as 34 °C, making it a destination for all seasons.
Emo is conveniently located halfway between two bridges to the United States, one at Fort Frances and the other at Rainy River. The town is recognized as an excellent overnight stopping point for cyclists due to the facilities available in the waterfront park.
Emo's Lion's Park, a picturesque riverfront area, is home to a new play structure funded through volunteer fundraising efforts and a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. The park also houses the Emo Spray Park, a community-driven project completed in July 2010 that provides a safe way for kids to engage in water play.
The Emo Speedway draws race participants and fans from the central United States, Northwestern Ontario, and Manitoba. The track operates every Saturday from May through mid-September.
Emo is also home to four different religious denominations, including Knox United Church of Canada, as well as Baptist, Catholic, and Christian Reformed churches. The Emo Food Bank and Thrift Shop, located in what was formerly the Anglican Church, helps hundreds of area residents in need every year.
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Emo had a population of 1,204 living in 472 of its 521 total private dwellings, a change of -9.7% from its 2016 population of 1,333. With a land area of 202.28 km2, it had a population density of 6.0/km2 in 2021.
The Emo Walleye Classic is a two-day catch and release fishing tournament held annually during the final week of May. The tournament 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. The event is organized by a committee and many local volunteers, with sponsorship from local businesses and individuals.
The tournament began in 2002 with forty-four participating teams and has grown since then. The first winners were Harvey Cochrane and Oliver Gibbons. In 2008, Doug McBride of Devlin, Ontario, and Steve Ballan of Fort Frances, Ontario, became the first team to win the tournament twice.
The tournament has seen many winners over the years, with the most recent being Dan Pollard and Josh Pollard in 2019. The 2020 tournament was cancelled due to COVID-19.
The biggest fish caught was during the 2005 Tournament by Doug McBride and Steve Ballan, weighing 10.02 lbs. They also hold the record for the biggest catch and highest tournament two-day total, both achieved during the 2005 Tournament.
