The Town of Cochrane and Cochrane & Area Events Society (CAES) are excited about the return of Canada Day celebrations, which will be coming to Mitford Park July 1.
It looks to be a fun-filled day for kids and adults as well, and CAES president Erika Richards said they are looking forward to getting back to a more traditional celebration after a couple of years of COVID-related modifications.
Instead of bringing the celebration out to the community in the form of a parade, this year, the community can get together in one place to celebrate. Richards promises a fun time at Mitford Park, and touted the Canada Day celebration as a chance to mingle with neighbours.
She said one band in particular is guaranteed to get people dancing.
“Our headliners are the Contraband, from Calgary. They play a lot of funk and ‘80s rock, and stuff that gets everybody moving,” she said. “They have real high energy.”
A quick check of their presence on YouTube confirms that assessment.
Other musical entertainers include Justine Vandergrift, the Chinook Country Line Dancers, the Riverside Jazz Band, Ready Set Bro, and the Backroad Traveler Band.
Canada’s 155th birthday will be starting off with a Quidditch match at 12:30 p.m. at the sports field at Mitford Park, followed by an entire day’s worth of children’s games, giant inflatable activity centres, a petting zoo and pony rides, local musical artists and dancers, food trucks, a beer tent sponsored by Half Hitch Brewing, and an afternoon dance party with high-energy bands. Capping off the proceedings, Debbie Leah and Associates is sponsoring a fireworks display at 11 p.m.
The Cochrane & Area Events Society is hosting the Town-backed event and has held celebrations of Canada Day successfully through the pandemic, winning 2021 Community Builder of the Year at the Cochrane Community awards.
Richards said over the last couple of years, sustaining a solid core of volunteers has been a challenge, and they are appealing to people to register to volunteer some time, even if it’s only for a couple of hours here and there.
Volunteers are needed to help supervise the children’s games, and for set-up and clean-up. But there are perks for those willing to put in the effort.
“Come out for a couple of hours, sit in a lounge chair and supervise and chat with people, and hang out. And volunteers get coupons for food,” she said.
Volunteers are asked to sign up at bit.ly/3QzWavZ
As with previous years, Cochranites are encouraged to take the Southland Shuttles or Colt, as there is no parking at Mitford Park or on the street.
New for 2022, Big Hill Cycle will be on hand to provide bicycle parking services.
The Community Showcase is returning in 2022, allowing local groups and organizations to come out and set up a tent and meet the residents of Cochrane.
The Cochrane Activettes will be on hand and they will be accepting cash donations in support of the Cochrane Food Bank. Unfortunately, there is no capacity to accept any food donations.
The CAES website is Cochraneevents.ca and the sign up form is there as well, and they’re on Facebook and Instagram.
For more information, call Richards at 780-885-8017, or send an email to [email protected]
