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Canada Day festivities are a go in Westlock

July 1 kicks off with pancake breakfast and ends with fireworks; Pickardville also has a full slate planned
WES - C-day WEST Fireworks_5
The Town of Westlock is promising an amazing fireworks show, which will be staged at the Altador Athletics Field behind Westlock Elementary School, to close Canada Day celebrations this year.

WESTLOCK – After planning multiple versions, a full slate of Canada Day celebrations dubbed ‘Reigniting the Spirit of Westlock’ are on tap for this Thursday.

Organizer Travis Darling, who’s the Town of Westlock’s community services program and marketing supervisor, is breathing a sigh of relief as his hours of pre-planning multiple versions of Canada Day ensured the municipality wouldn’t be flat-footed if the province’s COVID-19 restrictions tightened. As it stands, Alberta is slated to enter Stage 3 of the government’s Open For Summer Plan July 1, which means there’ll be no more bans on indoor, or outdoor social gatherings, as well as the repeal of the province’s face covering order.

“As a planner, I embraced the challenge. The two tentpole events were the pancake breakfast at the Legion, which in some form or fashion, could run depending on what we would be allowed to do depending on the restrictions. And the other was the fireworks, which I knew we could do regardless of the restrictions,” said Darling.

“I mean we still want to exercise an abundance of caution. Just because it’s Day 1 of no restrictions doesn’t necessarily mean we want to push it too far. I’m fully onboard with us all moving into Stage 3, but I was hoping that we would have been there for a few days leading up to it.

“But I’m definitely excited to see how the region responds to this event and excited to be able to see people who I haven’t seen in a while. It may be corny, but there really is a focus on reigniting the town and getting back to where we were pre-COVID as a town and as a region.”

July 1 in Westlock kicks off with a pancake breakfast at the Legion from 8-11 a.m. — limited seating is available as well as takeout.

Westlock & District FCSS will be hosting a skateboard competition at the skatepark from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Youth 10-18 are invited to participate and can pre-register by following the links at www.westlock.ca/p/fcss. Also on tap is a free public swim from noon to 5 p.m. at the aquatic centre.

The Altador Athletics Field behind Westlock Elementary School will be the site for a full afternoon of games and activities, plus a BBQ. There they’ll also be handing out the free Canada Day cupcakes starting at 6 p.m.

Darling said the football team will also be on hand doing demos, as well as taking registrations for the upcoming year, while Ukrainian dance club members will also be performing starting at 10 p.m. The day concludes at 11 p.m. with a firework show, sponsored by the Westlock & District Chamber of Commerce, which will rival the one held for the town’s 100th anniversary celebration back in 2016 and is being done by the same company, Star Storm Fireworks.

“To me it’s about getting back to more of sense of normalcy, that’s the biggest thing for me not only for Canada Day, but for my summer youth programs as well,” said Darling, noting up to-the-minute updates on the day will be available throughout the week and July 1 via the town’s Facebook page.

CAO Simone Wiley applauded staff for their work, saying the community deserves a chance to celebrate what appears to be the end of COVID-19 measures in Alberta.

“There’s been so many unknowns throughout the pandemic — how do you plan an event when you don’t know what you’re going to be allowed to do?” she said.

“The staff did a fantastic job or having Plan ‘A’, Plan ‘B’, Plan ‘C’ in the can ready to go depending on what the regulations were going to allow us to do. So we’re thrilled that we’ve been able to go all the way to Plan ‘C’.”

Pickardville has plans

The Hamlet of Pickardville will also be hosting a bevy of Canada Day events, with the day kicking off at 8 a.m. with a concession-style breakfast at the fire hall — a plate of sausages and pancakes will cost you $5.

A stationary parade is planned for 11 a.m., while a horseshoe tournament is on tap for noon. Old-fashioned kids games are also planned from noon to 3 p.m. For more updates, or to register for the parade or horseshoe tournament checkout the Pickardville community page on Facebook.

George Blais, TownandCountryToday.com

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