By Stephen Vance, Editor
They promised a Canada Day bash to remember, and the collection of community groups who worked tirelessly to put it all together certainly delivered.
Residents and tourists gathered in large numbers in the heart of urban Meaford from the moment that the pancakes hit the grill early in the morning, until the last firework exploded over the harbour late in the evening.
It was a day that was filled with events, and there was a little something for everyone.
The large turn-out for everything from a parade along Sykes Street to the long line-up for a piece of a gigantic Canada Day cake can very likely be attributed to the fact that so many residents were in some way personally involved in making it all happen.
The wide range of community organizations, service clubs, and volunteers that the Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with the municipality were able to bring together in order to organize such a large scale event is in many ways astonishing, and it is a tribute to the connection that the Chamber has developed with the community over the years.
For several months representatives from nearly every organization in the municipality have been gathering to plan and coordinate the Canada Day festivities, and from the very beginning of the process it was open to any and all who wanted to be involved.
And I think that is precisely why it was such a success.
This wasn’t a top-down project where a small group of people gathered in an office to put together a Canada Day celebration. This was a community-driven initiative that embraced the thoughts and ideas of anyone who cared to participate.
Everywhere you turned on Friday there were hundreds of people gathered, everyone was smiling, everyone was enjoying being part of the community of Meaford. How can you not smile after all when you have a chance to dunk members of council in a huge tub of water?
As a resident of this municipality I was impressed with what had been accomplished by my fellow residents.
As a father of two sons, I was thrilled that our community had put together a celebration that they both enjoyed so much.
As a Canadian I was proud to see my country being honoured in such an enthusiastic and respectful fashion – when our friends from the legion raised that beautiful flag toward an equally beautiful blue sky, I could feel a little lump in my throat.
In my role as a reporter, I was kept very busy throughout the day roaming from one fabulous event to another. The naming of the trail at memorial park, the fabulous display of vintage cars along the harbour, the activities at the Rotary Harbour Pavilion, a fantastic parade, a dance at the harbour, and of course an outstanding fireworks display to cap it all off.
As I sat at a picnic table at Memorial Park watching the fireworks, I kept thinking that the successful execution of such a large-scale celebration as we were treated to on July 1st is a prime example of the importance of public advisory committees.
Our Canada Day celebration was such a fantastic success because the Chamber of Commerce and the municipality didn’t do it alone. They embraced the community, and then they sought the input and the hard work of the very people who would participate in and enjoy the events that would take place.
Thank you to my fellow Meaford residents for working together to create an event to remember.
