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SAINT JOHN - Canada Day
celebrations will kick off in a blur of red and
white on June 30.
Heather Peterson, the regional
manager of the Hardman Group, and her Saint John
Canada Day committee announced on Wednesday the
lineup for the Canada Day Countdown concert and
listed the activities that will be taking place to
commemorate the country's birthday.
The Joel Plaskett Emergency, an
ECMA-award winning and Juno-nominated group will
headline the free show, along with the Nova
Scotia's David Myles band and The Got to Get Got,
Manitoba's Greg MacPherson and Laurie Jones, who
hails from Maine. The party begins at the Market
Square Boardwalk at 6 p.m. for patrons aged 19 and
up.
This year's celebration has a
"coast to coast" theme, boasting acts and
appearances from performers across the country.
The Canada Day Committee members, as well as Mayor
Ivan Court, each held a flag from a different
province or territory to solidify the theme. They
were a colorful bunch, waving their flags to an
instrumental "O Canada" surrounded by images of a
red maple leaf.
"We're pushing coast to coast, but
this is Canada Day and we have something from
coast to coast. Right through from British
Columbia right through to New Brunswick," Peterson
said.
July 1 will be filled with
activities for adults and children alike. The
opening ceremonies begin at the King's Square
Bandstand at 11 a.m. with a parade and the famous
eight by eight foot Canada Day cake.
Diego and Dora from the popular
Dora the Explorer and Go Diego Go programs will be
interacting with the crowd, along with characters
from the RCMP and A&W. Bernie the Magician,
Danceability, Zany Lane and Water Street Dinner
Theatre are among the acts that will be performing
on the boardwalk stage from 1 to 4 p.m. There will
also be inflatable rides and bungee jumping.
Rhoda's uptown market and bingo
will begin at 8 a.m. and end at 4 p.m. with bingo
beginning at noon. The Saint John City Market will
also be open, featuring crafts and games for
children.
Peterson noted that the Saint John
festivities are the largest in the province and
still continuing to grow.
"Every year it seems to get more
people involved and they've all been great," she
said.
"We've worked hard at sort of
getting the committee together from all over
uptown so it's not just one area."
She said that the relocation of the
people parade from Harbour Passage to King's
Square is an example of how much the celebration
has grown.
"We have a great country and we
should be proud of it and I think people are
thinking that," Peterson said.
"If you can't come up to the uptown
Saint John, even if you're participating in your
backyard, celebrate Canada Day because it is the
day of our nation's birth."
The fireworks are set to ring in
Canada's 142 birthday with a bang at 10:15 rain or
shine on July 1. Only fog will push the event to
the following evening.
Published Thursday June 18th, 2009
in the Telegraph-Journal |
