by Garrett Fodor
With the calendar flipping to July, the Municipality of Lakeshore kicked-off the summer schedule with a celebration of Canada’s 157th birthday, along with a special milestone for Belle River.
On Monday, the Municipality of Lakeshore invited area residents to celebrate the country’s birthday, while enjoying various amenities and entertainment lined up for a special event hosted at Lakeview Park and West Beach.
Kicking off festivities, the Canadian Flag was raised with help from Lakeshore Fire & Rescue, followed by a performance from the St. John the Baptist student choir.
“It is wonderful to see all of the families that have come together to enjoy the things that we have going on,” Lakeshore Mayor Tracey Bailey said while enjoying the event. “It’s just heartwarming to be able to celebrate Canada Day here and see so many families from across the municipality celebrating together. This year is special for us, as Belle River is celebrating 150-years.”
Throughout the course of the celebrations, which kicked off at 2:30pm, there were various forms of entertainment, from classic rock covers to Jangles the Clown, local band Leave Those Kids Alone, and DJ sets. Throughout the two locations, food was available to be purchased, while also featuring mini golf, arts and crafts, fire truck tours, a splash pad, along with beach volleyball.
The night went out with a bang, as the festivities concluded with a spectacle of fireworks.
“It’s been a lot fun, my favourite part has honestly been just watching all of the families come together and seeing the faces of the children light up,” Bailey continued. “When we raised the flag, everyone’s faces lit up and their heads rose, it was great.”
Bailey is thankful to everyone who had a part in the Canada Day festivities and thanked everyone for coming out and celebrating in Belle River.