On July 1, the Town of Niverville, partnering with the Olde Tyme Country Fair, is hosting a special Canada Day celebration.
Dustin Krahn, representing the fair committee, says that Niverville Recreation is doing a lot of the work, but the committee itself wanted to see something positive happen in the community this summer.
“The fair being cancelled was a tough thing for many people,” Krahn says. “So when this opportunity came up to collaborate with the Town of Niverville, we decided that it would probably be the best spot to put our efforts.”
The first part of the event includes a parade through Niverville, beginning at 7:00 p.m. at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Third Street North. The parade will then snake through the north end of town before crossing into the south end, passing eventually through Fifth Avenue Estates, and ending at Hespeler Park.
“We unfortunately aren’t able to hit every area of Niverville due to time constraints and logistics, but you can find a spot along the parade route for viewing,” reads a notice from the fair committee. “Please ensure you keep a safe distance from one another if viewing from a public area.”
In total, the parade is expected to last between one and one and a half hours.
“Lastly a special shout out to all the local businesses who are participating in this years parade!” say the committee. “We couldn’t have done this without your support!”
Word Scramble
Due to pandemic restrictions, vehicles in the parade won’t be able to hand out candy. Instead the fair committee has designed a unique word scramble game that kids can take part in.
For the word scramble, the parade vehicles will display large letters—large enough to be visible from a safe distance—which kids should take special note of. There are two separate messages: one spelled with green letters, and another spelled with red letters.
Those kids who find and record these letters, and then solve the scrambles, will win prizes. There are hundreds of prizes up for grabs, all donated by Country Snacks, Dairy Queen, the Great Canadian Dollar Store, Niverville Heritage Dental, and MLA Ron Schuler.
Fireworks Display
Then, at 11:00 p.m., a special fireworks display will be set off—although the organizers have been circumspect about their location.
“We will not be disclosing the location, as to discourage large gatherings at one given site,” says Holly Malleck, one of the town’s recreation programmers. “We have made special arrangements for high-level shell fireworks, so the fireworks are viewable across the town and beyond.”
Malleck says the town is very adamant that people respect social distancing measures during both the parade and fireworks show, and to avoid gathering in large groups.
“If people are having gatherings at their homes, we want to put out a friendly reminder to social distance while enjoying the festivities,” she adds. “We want everyone to be able to enjoy Canada Day celebrations from the comfort of their homes!”
