ST. PAUL - Canada Day celebrations will take place on July 1 in St. Paul, including the traditional late-night fireworks.
Last year, celebrations were kept to a minimum due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and while this year's event is not yet back to the scale of previous year's, organizers are happy to be able to organize a slightly bigger celebration, compared to 2020. That celebration will include fireworks near the Rec. Centre grounds.
The day's celebrations are being organized by the Town of St. Paul FCSS and the Parks and Recreation department.
The newly established St. Paul Cruisers Car Club will also be part of the day, hosting a car show at the Rec. Centre parking lot. Donations for KidSport will be accepted during the car show.
“We’re trying to keep everything outside," said Director of the FCSS department, Lynn Smid. She said social distancing will be encouraged, and masks will be mandatory.
There will also be two food trucks available during the car show.
A scavenger hunt will run during the day and will see people search throughout town, knocking items off the list. The hunt list is available online and once completed, residents can bring the answer sheet to the base of the UFO landing pad for a free ice cream.
The scaled back celebrations will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on July 1.
Fireworks are also scheduled to take place at about 11 p.m. on July 1, and people are being asked to follow all current COVID-19 guidelines that will be in place on that date. The Town of St. Paul is able to access a grant to help pay for Canada Day celebrations, and it stipulates that the event must take place on July 1.
“I think we’re all just very thankful that we could do something this year,” said Smid.
She said it simply wasn't feasible or practical to have any indoor activities or entertainers this year, but she is grateful to be able to offer the community a bit more of a celebration.
The main idea behind the event is to "encourage people to safely reconnect. That's what this is all about for us."
Event details are subject to change at the last minute.
