Adam Prudhomme
Beaver Staff
Boats, live music, barbecue, multiculturalism and a 20th anniversary celebration-that’s just some fun scheduled for the fifth annual Greater Napanee Riverfront Festival June 8 and 9.
Conservation Park’s Napanee River shoreline will be bustling with activity those days, starting with the Napanee Lion’s barbecue on the Friday at 5 p.m. With so much planned over those two days, the town is encouraging guests to sign up for an app at GreaterNapanee.Live to get up to the minute information.
“The public is able to comment on events and start conversations and get actual notifications as they’re updated,” explains Greater Napanee communications intern Brianna Clement of the town’s app.
The town is making a real push to get people to sign up for the app prior to the event so they can access all the information with their smart devices. While they can view information just by visiting the site, Clement says they can’t get real time updates unless they’re signed in to the app.
During the festival, the town will also take time to reflect back on 20 years of amalgamation. They’ll celebrate with a double feature of live music, starting with The Reasons at 5:30 p.m. They’ll cover hits from the 1950s through the 1990s and beyond. At 7:15 the four-piece band The Price Brothers will take the Conservation Park pavilion stage to perform songs that spans 40 decades, starting in the 1970s. Both shows are free, though guests may want to bring a lawn chair.
“This year the Friday night we’re doing a special tribute to the town of Greater Napanee’s 20th anniversary,” said Clement. “The first 500 people through the gates that night of the concert will get a commemorative keepsake for the town’s 20th anniversary.”
Opening ceremonies will take place at 7 p.m. followed by the unveiling of a Greater Napanee 20th anniversary themed pallet art at the Rotary Splash Pad.
The fun picks up again June 9 at 9 a.m. with a pancake breakfast hosted by the Napanee OPP. Donations will be accepted for the Special Olympics. From there the day will include the Greater Napanee Hometown Market setting up shop in the park, a canoe tug-of-war charity event, horse drawn wagon rides, professional canoe safety demonstrations and lessons, barefoot water skiing demonstration, paddle boarding trials, Royal Canadian Navy boat rides on the river and the Napanee and District Multicultural Festival, which runs from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Musical and dancing acts will take the stage throughout the day, showcasing the culture of dozens of different countries with the featured presentation, the Oshawa Hummingbird Club Carib Players, taking the stage at 2:30 p.m. Guests will have the chance to purchase international food as well.
Teams of four can still register for the charity tug-of-war by contacting Dave Pinnell Jr. at 613-328-7213 or dave. pinelljr@century21.ca. The tug-of-war will take place just off the boat launch with teams competing for a prize of $500, $300 or $200 which will be donated to a charity of their choice.