County Canada Day goes off with a bang in Wellington

Story and photos by Sharon Harrison
Canada flags were proudly flying, most remembered to wear red and white, some waved the little maple leaf flags being handed out; there were smiles and laughter and joy –bubbles too. It was Canada Day in Wellington Tuesday, marking the 158th anniversary since Confederation.

A long-time tradition for many locals, Wellington knows how to do Canada Day, where the Main Street parade is the key event and is always an absolute favourite for many, always anticipated, and always a hoot, a tradition always looked forward to –and always slightly different each year.

Pipers piped, drummers drummed, ukuleles were strummed, singers sang, balls were batted, bubbles floated through the parade-route air, along with cheers and roars and applause along the way with many “Happy Canada Day’s” thrown in.

It was a fine day for a parade and not a scorching hot day (many were thankful it wasn’t), and while the sun didn’t make an appearance, the rain did stay away from what was a very hazy, almost foggy day, the air heavy and saturated with humidity.

County mayor Steve Ferguson was handing out flags in the parade, a couple of councillors were also spotted, new Bay of Quinte MP Chris Malette too, along with a representative from Bay of Quinte MPP Tyler Allsopp’s office.

Parade participants included the Napanee and District Pipe Band, local service group representation, the County Ukulele Band, and many local residents, some driving a vehicle (a sports car or a classic car), some biking or in a golf cart, some walking, many attired for the occasion – and there was even pickleball happening in the parade (complete with a net), right there in the street, moving along just fine as the parade edged forward.

Local singer-songwriter Jeanette Arsenault’s “This is My Canada” played from her little Mazda Miata convertible, accompanied by Arsenault herself, who originally wrote the words and compiled the music back in 1992 to a song which is making a resurgence.

There were also flags, or rather, more flags: flags from all of Canada’s provinces and territories, colour party flags, flags depicted on tee-shirts or clothing or hats, a few folks draped large Canada flags on their backs, there were little Canada flags everywhere, maple leaves plastered everywhere too.

And almost last, but certainly not least, for the parade participant who seldom fails to show-up year-after-year, and parade-after-parade, the cherished ancient automobile belonging to the Cherry Valley Frasers made it to another parade for another year with their delightful family presence.

The parade wrapped-up with a contingent of emergency vehicles and volunteer first responders, including the Prince Edward Fire and Rescue, and Wellington Rescue/Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary Search and Rescue.

While a flyby was scheduled by the Royal Canadian Air Force during the parade to delight onlookers, unfortunately the CC-177 Globemaster, a large military transport aircraft, didn’t put in an appearance and was grounded, very likely due to the thick haze and very low cloud that persisted for most of the day. It was so hazy and foggy, Wellington beach had disappeared from view and couldn’t even be seen from the park.

While folks missed out on the big noisy plane low overhead this year, many gathered to watch a very loud canon being fired, along with the roar of a not insignificant loud ‘bang’ waterside in the park, not an everyday occurrence for Wellington park, at least not recently.

If anyone was thinking of invading the shores of Prince Edward County to our south any time soon, the sounds of canon fire may well have made them think again (although said canon fire did not involve any projectiles, on this occasion).

The crowd were firmly instructed to keep a distance, to stay well back, to give the canon a wide berth as it were, warned the big bang would be incredibly and deafeningly loud, advising younger ears should be covered, and they were not wrong.

There was an awful lot of smoke too, but it was an awful lot of fun, and they did it all over again half an hour later, much to the amazement and amusement of the large gathered crowd who seemed to find the whole performance totally fascinating (which it was).

County resident Jonathan Bradshaw explained how he and his crew, who are all from within an hour of here, do re-enactments and represent an 1812 artillery crew.

“It’s as you would see it in 1812 on battlefields, and this canon specifically is a bronze canon and it is a three–pound canon, so what three pound means is that’s the size of the projectile that would fire,” explained Bradshaw.

He said a bronze canon would have been an expensive canon in the time, where options were either bronze (an alloy), or a cast iron steel gun. The cast iron steel guns that fire the same size projectile were generally speaking two–and-a-half to three times heavier than the bronze guns.

“The bronze guns cost a lot more, but they were easier to move, so what you see is the big guns on forts were usually made out of steel, because once they got to where they had to be they stayed there for the rest of their existence. Whereas these ones had to be dragged around the field by man or by horses, and they had to moved long distances and so the lighter gun, even though it was more expensive, was easier to handle.“

Bradshaw said the crew of re-enactors are available to do community events, like this one, where he said it also aids in their recruiting efforts.

“It also shows that we are actually out here because people don’t always come to re-enactments, but they come to these things, they will see us, and they might have an interest.“

Wellington residents Marian Walsh and Barbara Lochhead enjoying Canada Day in Wellington.
“We come every year,” said Lochhead, “Wellington has the best Canada Day ever.”

The park was the place to be after the parade, which, along with canon fire, had places to eat, live music to enjoy, and games and activities for children, including a hula hoop contest, a Smarties sort, and flapjack lumberjacks, along with giant badminton and cornhole – for kids and adults alike.

Local County band, The Rickartons, belted out some brilliant tunes in the gazebo which were clearly enjoyed by the gathering crowds, some of whom were seen tapping a toe, and even singing along to some familiar tunes.

Other events and activities in and around the park included a strawberry social at the United Church, lunch on the lawn and a lawn sale at the Anglican Church, and a book sale at the library, as well as the Wellington Community Market held in the United Church’s parking lot.

Wellington’s celebration, put together by the Wellington Recreation Committee, which usually spans two days, began the night before, with a street dance, where Cue the Funk played in the park’s gazebo. The music, the dancing and the partying wrapped-up with a fireworks display at dusk at Wellington beach. And while a big downpour chose to coincide with the musical entertainment, word is, no one’s spirits were dampened, and the show went on.

Picton also celebrated Canada Day Tuesday with activities for all ages along a closed-to-traffic Main Street, bringing live music, organized by the Picton Recreation Committee. Cue the Funk, and Kojak, covered the main stage, and there was also line dancing. Inflatables and more could be found in Benson Park, along with face painting, pet portraits, axe throwing, and a beer garden.