The true north strong and free, happy birthday Canada

 

Canada’s 150^th birthday was celebrated country wide on July 1 with events in communities all across this great land. The massive milestone was locally celebrated at Rotary Park which was filled with stations and activities to enjoy. Bouncy castles, face painting, wildfire obstacle course, water-covered hockey rink, arts and crafts, cheering, World of Whitecourt, cupcakes, henna tattoos, and so much more.

Things kicked off at 9 a.m. with the Legion’s Canada Day parade marshalled by former Whitecourt mayor, John Dahl, who led the community from 1969-1976. Countless floats from local organizations and businesses made their way throughout the downtown handing out candy and yelling out “Happy Canada Day” to bystanders who had lined the streets.

At 10 a.m. the place to be was the Seniors Circle for a pancake breakfast sponsored by Whitecourt’s town council. “We served probably in the neighbourhood of around 1,400 people,” said Mayor Chichak who added that she spoke with attendees from as far away as Calgary. “It’s truly a reflection of the organizing committee, our community itself, the people who live here, and the people who are able to put on a fantastic party.”

After breakfast, there was a triple co-ed volleyball tournament and four hours of extravaganza to be found at Rotary Park. One of the many events was the Alberta Agriculture & Forestry demo which included four air tankers doing a water drop right beside the pond and helicopter repelling with Wildland firefighters.

Shannon Stambaugh, Wildfire Information Officer with Alberta Wildfire, said being part of the Canada Day festivities was a lot of fun. “It’s an opportunity to not have the pressure of an actual wildfire event and being able to show the community members how we serve them.” Ty Boiko, Helitac Leader, said he and the repelling crew were honoured to be at Rotary Park. “It’s nice to see people having fun and actually being able to see what we do. It’s a great feeling.”

The Whitecourt Wolverines station featured season tickets for sale and a hockey rink, of course. However, instead of ice, they had a layer of water on the surface which was perfect for kids to cool off on. Sabre Cheer also had an interactive booth showing children different moves such as somersaults.

Acapella performers, HOJA, were very entertaining in their set even teaching the crowd how to beatbox, making drum sounds with their mouths.  Magician Kyle Key was absolutely hilarious and gathered quite the crowd.  At 2 p.m., everyone at the park stood and sang O Canada together. In the evening, it was a music fest with artists Try Anything Once, Erin Haley & Band, Joe Public, and headliner Bobby Wills.

Ending the night with a big bang, fireworks sprayed up into the sky capping off a fantastic day filled with pride and love for our great country. The final charge was so overwhelmingly awesome that the crowd cheered nearly as loud as the sounds of the fireworks. Happy Birthday, Canada!