Although Canada is on a Tuesday, there are going to be plenty of celebrations for Canada’s 158th anniversary this year.
The following are happening in the three largest towns in the Cariboo, and will be free to attend.
Quesnel:
The festivities in Quesnel will begin at 12 p.m. at LeBourdais Park and run until 4 p.m.
The opening ceremony will have a traditional welcome and opening prayer, followed by the national anthem, and then opening speeches.
Games and activities will begin soon after the opening ceremony, and the Quesnel Pipes and Drums will close the event at 4 o’clock.
Williams Lake:
The Lake City’s celebrations will take place from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on the Tuesday in Boitanio Park.
There will be live entertainment, and interactive booths that the entire family can enjoy. Including face painting, inflatables, a giant slip’n’slide, crafts, and more games.
‘O’Canada’ will be performed by the Williams Lake Community Band to start the event. The band will perform again later for a full music set.
Food, treats, and refreshment vendors will be on location with a variety of options for those who go and celebrate.
108 Mile Ranch:
In the South Cariboo, the celebrations will begin at 10 a.m at the 108 Heritage Site. The opening ceremony will kick off at 11 a.m.
108 Mile’s celebration will feature a vintage car show, the 108 Mile Volunteer Fire Department trucks, demonstrations by Cariboo Bladed Combat, face painting, and bouncy castles, alongside food trucks.
At 1 o’clock p.m., the winner of the 2024 South Cariboo Citizen of the Year will be announced.
Barkerville’s Dominon Day (not free):
The Historic Town and Park’s Dominion Day celebrations will begin at “precisely” 11:30 a.m. as the town and local Indigenous will take part in the nationwide’s Canada Day Drumming.
The Dominion Day parade will follow after at 11:50 a.m. There will be a gold panning competition at noon. At the same time as the competition, the Historic Town’s games will also begin. The classics such as Broad Jump, Ladies’ Nail Driving, Men’s Hammer Toss, and the Greasy Pole Climb will be back this year.
An evening of live music and dancing, with a performance by the Interstellar Jays will be at the House Hotel Saloon, beginning at 7 o’clock p.m.
The town’s regular programming will also be in full swing during the Dominion Day celebrations.
Something going on in the Cariboo you think people should know about?
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