Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Following two years of being reduced to celebrating Canada Day virtually, this July 1 the party returns in-person in communities across the Lennox and Addington region.
Bath’s popular Canada Day ceremonies will be back in full swing, highlighted by its famous parade at 1 p.m., this year with the theme of Planting Seeds of Change.
“I think people are really excited about the prospect of being able to get together with friends and family and the idea that there is going to be a celebration,” said Diane Nolting of the Bath Canada Day committee. “So many people come back home and they really look forward to reconnecting with their old buddies and their family members. That’s one of the things my husband and I noticed when we moved here was the number of families that got together and friends that got together.”
The fun begins with the breakfast at the fire hall from 7-11 a.m. with a cost of $10 per person. Located next to the tennis courts on Church Street will be a welcome booth, a vendor’s market, kids zone, balloon artists, games, obstacle course and more.
The opening ceremony will take place at 11 a.m.
“We’re going to be opening it with the participation of a Métis elder who will do the Thanksgiving Prayer or the Words Before All Others, which is traditionally something that happens before the business of the day gets underway,” said Nolting. “Loyalist Township has developed a land acknowledgement so it will be delivered after that. We’re reaching out to try and recognize and include our Indigenous friends and neighbours in our program.”
Following that will be the introduction of this year’s parade marshals, Karen and Roxanne Taylor.
“These two women have lived in Bath now for over 20 years,” said Nolting. “They are beloved. They are two people, as one of the nominators for the Grand Marshal Award said, they spent 95 per cent of their lives paying it forward. They’re just so kind, they’ve raised money for every village cause. They’re the author of the community Christmas events, even in COVID they had organized and delivered something like 350 meals to people in their homes.”
As a heads up to those driving to the celebration, through traffic will be closed from Academy Street to Bath Public School from 12-2 p.m. to ensure public safety during the parade. A shuttle bus will run from Bath Public School to the corner of Country Club Drive and Main Street as well as Finkle’s Shores Park.
“We’ve got some new folks coming and we’ve got some old favourites returning,” said Nolting of the parade. “We have some entertainment ahead of the parade. We were fortunate enough to get a Vibrancy Grant from Loyalist Township that allowed us to enhance our kids program and some music. We’ll have four different buskers at different spots on Main Street and Church Street for an hour before the parade starts.”
All of the events and concerts on the day are free of charge, thanks in large part to the many community sponsors.
The home decorating challenge is back for again this year as well, calling on homeowners to deck out their yards in red and white to impress the judges.
A full list of events, sponsors and home decorating contest entry form can be found at www.BathCanadaDay.com.
-Over in Tamworth it’ll be an afternoon of patriotic fun.
Black Cat Café will host a vendors market from 11-4 p.m. Then at 4:30 p.m. the parade will roll through the village, departing from Hannah Funeral Home.
At 5 p.m. the fun shifts to the Tamworth Ball Park with Party Ponies, face painting, children’s games and a classic car show. From 4-7 p.m. is the Lion’s Club hamburger and hot dog fundraiser, with live music taking place from 5-10 p.m. from Ted Lalonde and Texas Tuxedo followed by DJ One Love. The day will wrap up around 10 p.m. with a firework display by the Stone Mills Tamworth Firefighters, which can be viewed from the ballpark. Admission is free though donations are appreciated.
-Newburgh’s Hollow Square Market on Main Street will host a special edition of their market, setting up on Friday as opposed to the traditional Saturday. The market will feature over 40 local artists, food producers and growers with Canada Day celebrations held in conjunction with the local fire department. The event will run from 2-8 p.m.
-Greater Napanee’s Strathcona Paper Centre will be the site for the town’s celebrations, kicking off with the GNES pancake breakfast from 7-10 a.m.
The Napanee Valley Cruisers will host their annual classic car show from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a Lion’s Club barbecue taking place from 12-7 p.m.
Kids activities will run from 3-9 p.m. with a performance of O Canada from Gracey Shea followed by live music from Trilogy, Steven Medd, Fred Brown and Friends and Deborah Lynn.
At 8 p.m. the town will screen Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, inside on the Home Hardware ice slab. The movie was the winning choice of a community vote hosted by the town. Following the movie will be fireworks around 10 p.m.