Stay-apart to come-together will be the theme this year when the City of Williams Lake hosts Canada Day celebrations on July 1 to mark the nation’s 153rd birthday.
Mayor Walt Cobb said it is unfortunate the community won’t have a celebration where everyone can get together in person to recognize ‘our luck and the ‘great country’ we live in.
“It is what it is,” he told the Tribune Tuesday. “When you see what is happening with all the demonstrations in the States and how the coronavirus has expanded then I guess we are going to have to be very careful.”
Staff at the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex have organized three separate processions throughout the city involving the Williams Lake Fire Department, RCMP and Central Cariboo Search and Rescue. Each procession will depart at noon.
The RCMP procession will start at the Cariboo Memorial Complex, travel up Comer Street to Ninth Avenue, joining Western via Huston Street. They will turn right at Pigeon, joining Twelfth Avenue, via Ferris Street, following Twelfth Avenue and looping back to Eleventh Avenue at Blair Street. From there they will join Western at Blair Street, travelling to Comer and back to the complex.
Starting at the Williams Lake Fire Hall, the fire department will travel down South Lakeside Drive to Renner Road, follow Renner Road until Hazel Street at Spruce Hill Road. From there the procession will continue down Juniper Street, rejoining South Lakeside Drive travelling to Highway 20 up to Fairview Drive. From there they will loop at the end of Country Club Blvd., travelling to Westridge Drive via Highway 20 and to the end of Mandarino Place, returning to Highway 20 via Westridge Drive and Eagle Crescent, back to Highway 20 and returning to the fire hall.
The Central Cariboo Search and Rescue will also depart from the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex but travel up Fifth Avenue to Pigeon via Comer Street. Following Pigeon Avenue to Dodwell Street, via Boundary Street they will turn onto Second Avenue to Midnight via Litzenburg Crescent. Proceeding along Midnight Drive to the end and looping back to Moon Avenue, the route will go to Fourth Avenue via Boundary Street and Patenaude Drive, travelling down Fourth Avenue North to return to the complex.
“We encourage everyone to view the processions, dress in red and white and wave your Canadian flags,” said Guillermo Angel, events and marketing co-ordinator at the complex.
After the processions, members of the Williams Lake Flying Club will do a flyover at 1 p.m.
Although the traditional event in Boitanio Park is cancelled due to COVID-19, the City is encouraging everyone to gather in small circles, hold barbecues in the back yard and test their general knowledge of Canadiana via video, posted on www.facebook.com/CMRCWL and the City website at www.williamslake.ca/CanadaDay.
READ MORE: Canada Day 2019
For a full list of the day’s events or to participate, follow the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CMRCWL and its Canada Day website at www.williamslake.ca/CanadaDay.
greg.sabatino@wltribune.com
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