Celebrations for Canada’s birthday here will run from early morning until late at night, with two distinct celebrations for the township.
Elora, hearkening back to the 1950s and the huge celebrations of those days, traditionally celebrates Dominion Day.
That kicks off with the annual firefighters breakfast of pancakes, sausages, and juice at 1 MacDonald Square in the downtown. The lineups are usually long, but with one of the largest frying pans in the world to cook in, it moves quickly.
After breakfast, hundreds of people will line the street as children take their wheels down the hill on Geddes Street from David Street. There are numerous classes and heats, and often some exciting moments when driving becomes difficult.
That race runs from 8 to 11am.
At 9am, there will be a 5km walk and run at Bissell Park. Call 519-240-2209 for more information.
At 11am, the annual Dominion Day Parade will make its way down Geddes Street towards Bissell Park. At noon there, a lunch of free hotdogs and a beverage will be served and there will be live entertainment. That event is sponsored by the Elora Lions club and Centre Wellington Township.
At 12:15pm, the Dominion Day Dash will take place, a 1km walk and run for kids 12 and under.
Events will be running a little longer than normal this year, with a Rotary Club duck race at Bissell Park at 1:15pm, also a Bissell Park.
And, from 2 to 4pm, there will be musical and heritage entertainment.
The Rotary Club will be on hand all day, in Elora offering ducks for sale. It will also be selling flags in Elora and Fergus.
That night in Fergus for its Canada Day celebrations from 6 to 9pm at the Centre Wellington Sportsplex, there will be live performances feature the country rock band Moonshine, the blues band Seed, suitcase magician Allan Grose, and other local artists, a kids midway and food vendors.
At 10pm, there will be a fireworks extravaganza.
The Fergus events are $2 per person.
For more information, call 226-383-3000 to reach the Fergus information centre, and 519-846-9841 for the Elora information centre.
