O Canada. She’s a beauty of a country, eh?
Monday isn’t just any summer holiday. It’s your opportunity to show your red-and-white pride.
No matter where you’re at in the region, there’s plenty of patriotic stuff going on.
So get ready to fly your flags and have a great time. Here comes Canada Day!
Roman Seviaryn of Windsor has some fun under the biggest flag he’s ever seen in this July 2007 file photo. (Dan Janisse / The Windsor Star)
Canada Day Parade, Cake & More in Windsor
What would Canada Day be without a huge parade? Grab a chair, line the sidewalks, and join the City of Windsor in celebrating our great nation.
This year’s event happens 11 a.m. Monday on Wyandotte Street East. The parade starts at the intersection with Devonshire Road and ends at the intersection with Glengarry Avenue.
Windsor’s 2011 Canada Day parade. (Dax Melmer / The Windsor Star)
There will be big banners, marching muscians, fun-filled floats and more.
Immediately after the parade, you can head to the Riverfront Festival Plaza and help yourself to a free piece of Canada Day cake. Organizers estimate they’ll have enough for 5,000 people — first come, first served.
Meanwhile, performers such as Clarol the Clown, Fire Guy and the Stilt Guys will be wandering the plaza until 4 p.m. to keep you entertained.
At 8 p.m., the Greater Windsor Concert Band will set up at Dieppe Gardens for a free two-hour multimedia symphony of sound and light.
The whole shebang is presented by the Windsor Parade Corporation. For full details and schedule, go to www.summerfestwindsor.org.
Nicole and Mitchell Atkinson cut the first piece out of a giant Canada Day cake in Windsor, Ont. in this July 2006 file photo. (Scott Webster / The Windsor Star)
Canada D’eh Footrace & Festivities in Amherstburg
For fitness-minded Canucks, the Town of Amherstburg is hosting a five-kilometre footrace on Canada Day.
The Canada D’eh 5K course can be run or walked, and takes participants through historic Amherstburg neighbourhoods.
The race starts 9 a.m. Monday at Fort Malden. Visit www.runningflat.com for complete information and online registration.
All registrants get a special Sir John A. Macdonald medal and a pair of Maple Leaf sport socks upon completion of the race.
Jadilyn Palermo shows her Canadian pride in this July 2012 file photo. (Dax Melmer / The Windsor Star)
If you’re not a jogger, no problem — Fort Malden has a full schedule of other great Canada Day activities for the whole family. We’re talking zumba, yoga, buskers, ponies, live music, fireworks, a food court, a splash pad, and much more.
There’s even a Nickelback tribute band — Nickelbag — hitting the stage at 8:30 p.m.
Admission will be free all day. Check out the Festivals and Events section under Visitors at www.amherstburg.ca for a complete line-up.
Reaffirm Your Citizenship
Courtesy of Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Also at Fort Malden on Monday comes a special ceremony by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
At 11 a.m., the region’s newest Canadians will take their formal vows of citizenship.
At the same time, all other Canadians will be invited to reaffirm their citizenship and recite The Great Canadian Oath.
Speakers will talk about the importance of citizenship, and there will be a traditional singing of the national anthem.
Learn more on the federal ministry’s website (www.cic.gc.ca).
Fort Malden is located at 100 Laird Ave. South in Amherstburg.
Afternoon Celebration in Lakeshore
Don’t feel like waking up early on Monday? The Town of Lakeshore has you covered. The Canada Day parade in Woodslee doesn’t start until 3 p.m.
Canada Day 2011 celebrations. (Stuart Davis / Postmedia News Group)
Celebratory marchers will do their thing on Main Street, followed by a 4 p.m. flag-raising ceremony and singing of O Canada at the Millen Community Centre, 1925 South Middle Rd.
Attendees will want to stay to enjoy lots of entertainment, including a car show, inflatables, bingo, a karate demonstration, a dog agility contest, a bluegrass band, a tribute to Elvis, and more.
Feel free to tuck into some free cake and watermelon while you’re at it.
The party closes out with fireworks at dusk — 9:50 p.m.
Happy Birthday, Canada!
July 1 is the federally-recognized celebration date of Canada’s Constitution Act of 1867.
Canadian author Robertson Davies – He hated Canada Day!
The legislation united three colonies as the Dominion of Canada under the British Empire. It set up much of our country’s government, including the House of Commons, the Senate, our courts of law and our tax system.
The date became a statutory holiday in 1879, when it was established as Dominion Day.
It wasn’t until 1982 that the name was officially changed to Canada Day — amid great controversy.
Many prominent citizens loudly disapproved of the name change. Famed Canadian author Robertson Davies called the new name an “inexplicable lunacy,” and noted that Canada Day is “only one letter removed from the name of a soft drink” — Canada Dry.
Tina, a patriotic Montreal dog, carries a Maple Leaf flag on Canada Day in this July 2010 file photo. (Dave Sidaway / The Montreal Gazette)
