Huntsville has always celebrated Canada Day in style, but this year the celebrations will be bigger, better and longer in honour of our nation’s 150th birthday.
“There are many people working behind the scenes to make this an incredible celebration,” says Teri Souter, the Town’s Manager of Arts, Culture and Heritage. The biggest among those efforts is a Canada Day Decades Parade on Main Street, a walking parade highlighting Huntsville’s history and events around the world that impacted our small town.
It starts with the natural world, which was here long before any of us, honours Muskoka’s first people, and includes significant moments in the town’s history. Think medieval faire – with buskers, clowns, and dancers – meets fun, optimistic, hard-working, spirited and resolved bushwhackers and you will have a glimpse of our theme.
Teri Souter
St. Andrews will play O Canada from its steeple bells to kick off the parade, and again periodically throughout the day. Rather than being led by dignitaries, a tradition in most of the town’s parades, they will instead form an honour guard that the walking parade will pass in front of Town Hall before it moves into River Mill Park.
Volunteers are needed for a variety of fun roles to make the parade a success, says Souter. Contact Volunteer Coordinator, Rose Evans at 705-789-1751 ex 2231 or [email protected].
If you have an idea for a historical event to include in the parade (remember there are no motorized vehicles in this parade) and want to help make it happen, contact one of the parade organizers: Teri Souter ([email protected]), Kelly Haywood ([email protected]), Darla Stipanovich ([email protected]) or Rachel Hunt ([email protected]).
The celebration in River Mill Park will once again begin with the annual Lions Club Peameal Bacon on a Bun breakfast at 8 a.m. Cake will be served in the park and the festivities will feature the Muskoka Concert Band, along with a 100-voice choir singing O Canada. On Main Street, the Downtown Huntsville BIA will host a street festival from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Over at Muskoka Heritage Place, the popular annual Strawberry Social and Steam Up Day celebrates Canada Day as it would have been in the early 1900s. The Legion will host its annual all-day barbecue and roast beef dinner. And the day will end, as always, with fireworks over Hunters Bay. See details on these and other Canada Day events in the poster below.
Other related events happening this year include:
- Indiginous Spirit Matters, an art installation at the Canada Summit Centre from April through August and available for viewing any time the building is open.
- Huntsville’s annual First Nations, Métis and Inuit Celebration will be held June 21 in River Mill Park.
- Tom Thomson 2017 celebrations recognizing the 100th anniversary of the death of the iconic painter. The Town is hosting a Speaker Series, local artist Janine Marson will display the 100 sketches created for her Through Tom’s Eyes project, Algonquin Outfitters is holding a paddle art contest, and local actor Grant Nickalls is writing and producing When Winnie Knew, an original play about Winnie Trainor premiering at the Algonquin Theatre on July 16.
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Since Huntsville is always looking to expand our tourism economy I believe we are well suited to hold a yearly festival with Tom Thomson as the theme.
Every visitor to our beautiful town wants a photo with his bronze statue and canoe. The Group of Seven murals are tastefully displayed throughout the area and with Algonquin Park just up the road, our town is the ideal location.
In 1990 my family saw ‘Colours in the Storm’ written by Jim Betts at the Muskoka Festival in Port Carling We enjoyed the music, drama, humour and story of Canada’s most famous artist. It is playing in London this spring and a year or so ago in Haliburton—I believe it would be an excellent production for The Algonquin Theatre.
Journalist and bestselling author Roy McGregor grew up in Huntsville with firsthand knowledge of the Thomson history. His novels ‘Canoe Lake’ and ‘Northern Light’, the enduring mystery of Tom Thomson and the woman who loved him’ would certainly add to weeklong festival sales.
Several years ago we enjoyed the excellent plays written by Stina Nyquist of local history that could be reintroduced, including The Shantyman’s Daughter, the story of Winnie Trainor and Tom Thomson. Muskoka Heritage Place was used as an outdoor theatre for some local plays in the nineties.
Anne of Green Gables at The Charlottetown Festival is in its 53rd season; Elvis is still going strong in Collingwood after being rejected by Huntsville a few years ago.
With ideas from Huntsville’s talented directors, musicians, and designers it wouldn’t take long for a successful yearly event to be organized – Huntsville’s 150 Legacy.