It is going to be a party.
The Downtown Squamish BIA is hosting this year’s Canada Day events. The day begins — of course — with a parade down Cleveland Avenue starting at Winnipeg Street at 10 a.m. It will snake down to the Cenotaph at Stan Clarke Park. The procession will be led by Black Tusk Caledonia Pipes and Drums and the Legion, and there will be a cake-cutting ceremony and flag raising at the Cenotaph. After that, there’s performances all day until 10 p.m., a beer garden starting at 11:30 a.m, a kids zone, and plenty of food, vendors and community booths to visit.
New this year is a classic car show following the parade in front of August Jack Motor Inn on Cleveland. There will be old muscle cars and European cars, including Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Volkswagen and more.
Anne Kadwell, Executive Director of the Downtown Squamish BIA, said she thinks the vintage car show will add to the all-ages appeal of the event.
“We’re really just trying to make it an all-family environment, trying to get everyone’s interests into one place,” she said.
Carolyn Grass and Friends will kick off the all-day performances at the O’Siyam Pavilion in Junction Park at 11 a.m. Overcomers, the Wells, Howe Sound Dance Academy and Zombie Roof and others will be taking the stage throughout the day.
Headlining the performances is the Jocelyn Pettit Band at 9 p.m., an act Kadwell is particularly looking forward to.
“She’s peppy, she engages the crowd, everyone seems to dance and it’s a lot of fun,” she said. “She’s just electrifying. She’s a fiddler. She has a lot of energy, and she’s west-coast. She brings it all together because she dances, sings and fiddles.”
The kids’ zone this year is hosted by Happimess and Squishy’s. Happimess is known for its fun, messy games, so parents should be prepared.
If you’d like to enter your vehicle in the”multiCARtural” event, or for more information, email Anne at [email protected].
