Canada Day is celebrated in communities across Canada in engaging ways from Toronto’s dance fest through BC’s Bands and Motocross to Newfoundland’s Face Painters and Fiddlers. In my neck of the woods, East Central Ontario, the celebration of Canada Day is Family Funtime. To wit, here is the first of 3 look-and-see-at-what-is-happening-on-Canada-Day in the area.
Ontario is irregularly shaped so that it is hard to locate portions of the province by the normal 4 Winds directions. So lets us say East Central Ontario is near the edge of Lake Ontario, halfway to Kingtson where the the Northumberland Hills cover the countryside. These hills are the sandy mounds of the Last Ice Age runoff [it was a kilometer thick over most of Ontario just 20,000 years ago]. Rice Lake, another Ice Age scoop out, anchors Hastings, while just down the Trent River is Campbellford, and nestled in a valley is Warkworth, the first of our Canada Day towns.
Warkworth has been and still is farming country.
So far 2012 is a very fertile year in the Warkworth hills and valleys
So it should be no surprise that Canada Day celebrations emphasize family fun. And the Ringmaster,
Marg Newman as MC during Canada Day
by way of being a Canada Day planner and Master of Ceremonies, is Warkwort’s Head Librarian, Marg Newman, And in 2012 there is a feast of fun to be had for everybody.
First there are free hotdogs, snow cones and Canada Day cupcakes.
These can and should be munched on in the shady parts of Centennial Park by the Creek side while enjoying the Music and Singing in the Park’s Stage area. If you get the idea it was sunny and warm in East Central Ontario – then you are right on Denmark.
But Canada day also means lots of novel fun and activities. Last year there were many kids games that a lot of senior kids enjoyed as well. This year one of the best of the kids games is a Soap Bubble Maker.
Bubble Makers in action – and they don’t work for the Bank of Canada.
Now there is a secret formula to making the Soap Bubble Mix – and the pictures above testify to the fact that the Mix was right. However, making bubbles is not trivial even given a superior mix. This party was barely able to produce a blooper. The pros tell me its all in the the dunking, drawing and gentle but smooth lariat action. Easy enough to say … something about my wrist action.
Now if you judge by the lineup of kids waiting to go on it, the spacelike Gyroball was the best of the kids games.
Now I ask you – is this fun or is it FUN?
It appears Warkworthian kids are getting early practice for a)the Midway Rides at THEx, [Toronto’s late Summer farewell and back to school phenomenon] or b)the Canadian Space Agency’s training regimen for astronauts.
However there was also a lineup to get into the plastic balloons too. See here:
Now I could get into this
Somehow these plastic roller balls brings up images from a movie – Star Wars? Or something science fiction where you get to rollover your foes in an impenetrable ball. Okay – a bit exaggerated but the kids certainly enjoyed the plastic excursions.
Fire Truck Water Shower
Did I tell you that Canada Day was warm. Warm enough to bring back memories of running through the water sprinkler. Well, what if you had the Warkworth fire truck parked next to the Creek and capable of creating a true fountain of water:
First time sprinkler-goer
Now the aamazing part of this water sprinkler runner was 1)it was her first time, 2)she got permission from her Mom, and 3)she kept her hat on through many sprinkle runs.
Now in general kids enjoyed the water sprinkler action and there is special witness photos to that effect:
In fact , the sprinkler action was a so popular it emptied out the nearby Play Park except for
one intrepid and determined slide goer.
So can one safely say Warkwortians of all ages had fun down at the Park on Canada Day? I have not done a survey but I think so – at least for one young bird – a white capped, red breasted, blue bottomed Sprinkle-goer.