There will be lots to do this Canada Day with events in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows.
At Memorial Peace Park in Maple Ridge, official ceremonies will take place at 12:30 p.m., with the raising of the Canadian flag and an awards ceremony.
Throughout the day there will be entertainment, singing, dancing, interactive activities for families and great food.
Entertainment on both stages will kick off at 10 a.m. with Suzi and Friends for the children and will end at 3 p.m. with headlining folk band Tiller’s Folly.
And don’t forget to wear red and white and participate in the ‘Show Your Colours for Canada Day’ contest.
Sandra Borger, events coordinator with Haney House Museum, says there will be a different spin on Canada Day events at the Haney House Museum.
The theme this year will be a carnival. There will be face painting, a colouring contest, crafts, a dress up chest and games including a bean bag toss and croquet.
There will be refreshments, as usual, including, free popcorn and cold drinks, cotton candy by donation and Timbits.
In addition, staff and volunteers in heritage costumes will be giving tours of Haney House.
“We are giving it a 1950s flair,” says Borger.
Haney House is located at 11612 – 224th Street in Maple Ridge and the Canada Day event will run between 1 and 4 p.m.
The Maple Ridge Museum will be closed this Canada Day.
It is shut down for two weeks, until July 9, to assemble and install new display cases purchased with a combination of grants from Haney Rotary’s Wine Zest Program, the Municipal Community Grant Program and private donations.
When complete, they will display revamped themes and new stories, such as the history of logging and farming in the district, as well as the Japanese settlement.
“Only eight per cent of our collection is on display,” said Allison White, curator for the Maple Ridge Historical Society, so the new, larger display cases will allow for more of it to be taken out of storage.
The museum will also have a new Finnish settlement display and one called “Modern Convenience,” as well as a temporary display featuring the history of the Maple Ridge University Women’s Club, which performed puppet shows and workshops at the local library, schools, and at arts centres around the Fraser Valley, starting in the 1970s. The club wrote “Maple Ridge: A History of Settlement” which is still a hot seller at the museum. Some of the puppets they created will be on display.
In Pitt Meadows, Canada Day will be kicked off at Spirit Square by an 8 km Athletes In Kind run along with a pancake breakfast, hosted by the Pitt Meadows Lions Club.
Official ceremonies will take place at 10:30 a.m., featuring the flag raising with Scouts Canada and multicultural entertainment which will continue all day.
Following the opening ceremonies, at 12 p.m. there will a children’s bicycle parade with prizes for the most Canadian bike and the most creative.
Yuen’s Martial Arts and Youth Services will be hosting interactive activities for children.
Children are also welcome to take part in a poster contest. Winning posters will be displayed on the website for the following year.
• Entry forms can be downloaded at pmcanadaday.webs.com/forms.htm.