CALEDONIA CANADA DAY IS BACK

FIREWORKS DISPLAY BEING DEDICATED TO BARBARA MARTINDALE'S MEMORY

It's been both tricky and hard for the Caledonia Canada Day committee to plan this year's event.

The tricky part has been because the committee of about 15 volunteers has "been meeting since January, and we've been very, very cautious with our planning," said chair Ian Thompson, due to all of the uncertainty earlier in the year around what COVID-19 pandemic restrictions might look like seven months later.

The hard part has been that "We really don't have our leader with us anymore, and of course, that's Barbara Martindale," Thompson said.

Martindale, the former executive director of the Caledonia Regional Chamber of Commerce, which runs the Caledonia Canada Day event, died in March following a brief illness.

"She's been involved with Canada Day since the very beginning of Canada Day in Caledonia. It's kind of been a different feel, planning without her guidance and support," Thompson said.

That's why this year, the fireworks display that caps off the July 1 celebration will be dedicated to Martindale's memory.

The day will start off, as always, with a parade. The route this year will go from the Nicholson and Cates yard off of Alabastine

Street, along Argyle Street North to Caithness Street, and then follow Caithness to the Caledonia Fairgrounds.

The celebration will continue at the fairgrounds, with the Cool and Classic Car Show, buskers and entertainers, vendors selling crafts, food and more, the Caledonia Fair Freezie Eating Contest and group performances from local talent.

The Caledonia Legion will be holding a flag-raising ceremony that day as well. There will also be live entertainment before the fireworks show.

One thing that won't be at the celebration this year is the inflatables kids' zone.

Thompson said there were two main reasons why the committee decided to forego that element of the day's celebrations.

The first came down to cost.

"Canada Day is completely funded by the local businesses in town," Thompson said. "We knew that this year was going to be a bit of a stretch for many ... they've really been struggling as a result of the pandemic. And so, we really didn't want to put any more pressure on."

Typically, Canada Day celebrations cost about $65,000 to put on, with the inflatables being one of the biggest costs of the day, between equipment rental, hiring staff to operate it throughout the day, etc.

"They'd have to make something doing it, too; we can't ask them to do it for nothing," Thompson said.

The second reason why was due to health and safety concerns.

"There's a lot of touch points on that (inflatable) equipment and it's not really

possible to sanitize and clean," Thompson said.

The committee is hopeful that next year will bring a return of the regular Canada Day celebrations.

In the meantime, those who wish to contribute have several options.

Before and following the fireworks display, there will be volunteers with red pails collecting donations toward the event.

People can also purchase 50/50 tickets at various local businesses and at the Caledonia Fair office.

Finally, "We can always use volunteers and anyone who's interested in helping out on the day of can reach out through the website," Thompson said.

For more information, including a full schedule of events, visit caledoniacanadaday.ca