On Monday, Canada will blow out 146 candles as its residents celebrate July 1. Across the country music, laughter and joy will bind us together in our traditional Canada Day celebrations.
Marking Canada Day is important. We live in the greatest country in the world and though we should recognize it all 365 days, making a big splash on July 1 just seems right (and not making a big deal about how awesome we are all the time just seems so much more Canadian).
Here in the Kootenays there will be celebrations dotting the map in every community. What makes July 1 events so cool — and for that matter Canada as a whole — is that every town celebrates the birthday with its own distinctive style.
In Wednesday’s edition of the Star, we ran a calendar of events for the communities of Nelson, Salmo and Kaslo. If you missed it, drag it out of the recycling bin and check it out. It will make you want to clone yourself and be in all three places at once.
A long weekend full of activities in Kaslo will culminate on Monday with a full day of events. There will be an annual fundraising run, a strawberry tea at the SS Moyie and a full day (and evening) of music and fun at Vimy Park.
Salmo’s long weekend is also chock full of events that include a slo-pitch tournament, firefighter competiton, library book sale, bubble gum blowing contest and much more. The village has really left no patriotic stone unturned. And like Kaslo and Nelson, fireworks will cap off the night.
Of course Nelson’s birthday bash is legendary throughout the region. Locals and visitors alike cram into Lakeside Park for a day of celebrating community that would be hard to match across the land.
It’s a day like no other across the Kootenays and one not to be missed. With the forecast hinting at Mother Nature being kind this year (at this point, sunny and 37 C), the party in all three communities will be better than ever.