WESTLOCK — Westlock-and-area residents will have plenty of opportunities to celebrate Canada’s 155th birthday in style with parades, live music and a whole lot of family fun on tap.
July 1 celebrations return to the Town of Westlock after two years of cancelled and scaled-down events during the pandemic — the municipality actually created a community events committee which is organizing the town’s festivities this year.
“We’re going to be starting the day off with a free pancake breakfast at the Legion from 8-11 a.m. Some of the councillors will be there handing out food and we have our skatepark competition,” said event organizer Fiona Janz.
There will also be a couple of new events this year, including a youth market and a dog agility show from the Dynamo Dog Sports team.
“They’re agility dogs and they’re doing two agility events at 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.,” said Janz.
Most of the events will be taking place on the grounds surrounding Westlock Elementary School and residents are being asked to show their Canadian spirit by decorating their bikes and dogs in red and white for a small parade around the school’s parking lot.
“We’re trying to keep the event all in one area, that way people don’t have to go across town to find (activities and events).”
Midway through the day, residents and visitors can join the town for opening ceremonies scheduled for 1 p.m, where mayor Ralph Leriger will share a few words along with other guest speakers.
“We’re hoping to have an Indigenous speaker talk as well as the mayor will open the ceremonies and someone will be singing O Canada,” she added.
Live entertainment, food vendors and other activities will continue throughout the day into the evening, with the event concluding with a fireworks show.
“We just want everyone to get together, have a good time, seeing how it’s really the first Canada Day we’ve been able to have since COVID,” said Janz. “Come enjoy the day — it’s a full day of fun stuff for people to do (with) fireworks. We want people to come together as a community and really enjoy it.”
Pickardville will be hopping
As always, the Hamlet of Pickardville will be busy July 1, with the annual parade, pie sale, activities for kids and horseshoe tournament on tap, plus a new chili cook-off competition.
The pancake breakfast at the community hall starts the day and runs from 8-10 a.m. and will be followed by the parade which starts at the St. Benoit Catholic Church and heads east down main street.
Following, the annual pie sale runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at St. Benoit’s, while a host of fun activities for kids will run at the Pickardville Park from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with the horseshoe tourney starting at 11:30 a.m. behind the fire hall.
The inaugural chili cook-off event, dubbed the “Battle of the Stations”, runs from noon to 2 p.m. at the fire hall, while the firefighter steak supper goes from 5-7 p.m. at the community hall. The day wraps with a performance from the Colin McDonald Band at the community hall and the bar opens at 5 p.m. — no minors are allowed at the hall past 8:30 p.m.
On tap in Dapp
Canada Day returns to the Hamlet of Dapp, with a pancake breakfast at the Dapp Community Centre from 9-11 a.m. — cost is $5 per person or $20 per family. All money raised
from the breakfast is being donated to the local school for their lunch program.
Following the breakfast, shortly after 11 a.m. there will be a parade down main street to the school.
Thorhild Stampede
The 59th-annual Thorhild Stampede returns Canada Day with a full day of events including a rodeo, demolition derby and fireworks.
The previous night the Thorhild Community Association, which is organizing all the activities, will be hosting a dance at the Agriplex, while on July 1 the pancake breakfast starts the day and runs from 8-10 a.m. at the community drop-in centre and will be followed by the parade at 11 a.m.
Rodeo action starts at 1 p.m. and will feature bareback, saddle bronc, novice horse, bull riding and junior bull events, as well as barrel racing, breakaway roping and team roping, plus mini bronc and sheep riding events.
Meanwhile, the car show starts at noon at the Agriplex, with a petting zoo and inflatable structures for kids also in the works — free camping is available and the beer gardens will be open all day. Finally, a steak supper runs from 5-7 p.m., while fireworks cap the night at 11 p.m.
