Wednesday of next week is Canada Day, the day when Canadians across the nation will celebrate our good fortune to be able to call Canada home.
While the summer solstice was less than a week ago, for many Canada Day is when summer truly begins. The school year has come to an end; many will be enjoying summer vacations in the coming weeks, and Canada Day celebrations can set the tone for the summer fun to come.
Though I am not the ‘rah rah’ patriotic sort, I have always felt fortunate to have been born here in a stable and prosperous nation. Like many, I am the first generation of my (mother’s side) family to be born in Canada. In the 1950s my grandparents followed their dreams and moved from their home in England to new adventures in Canada, and today many arrive here with those same dreams of starting a new life in a new country.
Canada is not perfect, of course, but if you take a little time to look around the world through an objective lens, you quickly realize just how good we have it here by comparison to the vast majority of nations. That is in part why so many around the world would move to Canada if they could.
In my previous career I had the good fortune to travel to many nations on this planet. From visiting 41 of the 50 United States, to spending time in Russia, much of Europe, India, and many others, I have been fortunate to see a good portion of the planet. And while I found places that I absolutely loved to spend time, there really is no place like Canada, warts and all, in my opinion.
We have it pretty good here in Canada, better than most of us realize, from universal healthcare to the relative safety of our communities, to the many freedoms we enjoy, and for that we should certainly be thankful. And if being thankful to you means flying the red and white, or maybe even wearing a funny red hat, then go for it: have some fun celebrating the gift that is living in Canada.
We also have the good fortune of being able to lay our heads on our pillows each night without fear of bombs dropping on our neighbourhoods, or missiles flying through the air overhead, and for that I am certainly very grateful.
Regular readers of this newspaper will know that I am no fan of war. I have no tolerance for armed conflict of any sort, but I do enjoy watching nations compete in healthy ways, as with the Olympics, or as we are seeing this summer, the soccer World Cup, hosted this year by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. I am not much of a sports fan, and so the structure of the world’s largest sporting event is confusing to me, but from what I have seen in highlight clips, Canada’s national team is doing well in the early going, giving us Canadians something extra to cheer about this Canada Day.
Here in Meaford there will be no shortage of opportunities to celebrate Canada Day.
As has been their tradition, in Annan they will celebrate Canada Day a day early on Tuesday, June 30.
Annan’s Canada Day celebrations will take place at the Annan Ball Diamond. Hosted by the Sydenham & District Optimist Club, the festivities begin at 6 p.m. and offer free admission for the entire community.
Bognor will host its annual Canada Day Celebration on Wednesday, July 1, at the Bognor Community Park. The festivities offer an old-fashioned, family-oriented evening starting at 6:45 p.m. and running through to dark when a fantastic fireworks display will entertain those gathered.
In both Annan and Bognor there will be many activities to enjoy, along with live music, food and beverages, as well as a fireworks display.
In the urban area of Meaford, the Canada Day celebrations begin at 8 a.m. on July 1 with a pancake breakfast at the Rotary Harbour Pavilion, and the celebrations will continue throughout the day.
While there will be plenty of events to enjoy in urban Meaford for Canada Day, my favourite Canada Day celebrations are those held in Bognor and Annan. I enjoy the rural, old-time fun that can be found at the Bognor and Annan celebrations. From the antique car show, to community barbeques, to old-fashioned games, there is much fun to be had in Annan and Bognor, and that is before the fabulous fireworks displays once dusk arrives. Others prefer the energy to be found at the larger Canada Day celebrations held in urban Meaford, but however and wherever you plan to celebrate Canada Day, the most important things are to have fun, and to do so safely.
Happy Canada Day, everyone.
You can view the full schedule of Meaford’s Canada Day events at meaford.ca/canadaday.
