There will be plenty going on in both Westville and New Glasgow, in honour of the nation’s birthday and on the days leading up to the holiday on Sunday.
New Glasgow
According to Paula Irving, acting manager of the Glasgow Square Theatre, Glasgow Square will be the place to celebrate Canada Day, since all the activities in New Glasgow will be going on there.
“Our event is Pre-Canada Day, and it’s on June 30,” said Irving. “We’re hoping it’s going to be hot and sunny.”
Pre-Canada Day is an evening event from 6 to 10 p.m., opening with an ice cream social with New Glasgow Mayor Nancy Dicks. Following that will be an official flag-raising ceremony, in which a Canadian and pan-African flag will be raised.
At 7:30 p.m., the night’s entertainment will take to the stage. The headliner will be ECMA-award-winning hip hop group Universal Soul, who mix pop, reggae and rock in their sound.
“They’ve done a bunch of different collaborations with other artists, and have a bit of a unique sound,” said Irving. “They’re based out of Halifax, but one of them – Tracey Williams – is actually from Pictou County.”
Anyone curious about Universal Soul’s style of music is encouraged to attend to listen to the ensemble for themselves, since the group has a unique style that is difficult to describe.
“It’ll be a little bit of everything for everybody,” said Irving, describing both Universal Soul’s music and the event as a whole.
Another group performing for Pre-Canada Day will be Hangman, a Pictou County-based group. Although there will be others performing for the event, Irving said that they remain to be determined at this time.
From 6 to 9 p.m. there will be an assortment of children’s crafts and activities, with bouncy houses and the like available. Ending the day will be New Glasgow’s spectacular fireworks display.
Westville
Canada Day celebrations in Westville will be preceded by a Senior’s Appreciation Night, Wednesday night at 7 p.m. at the Westville Gym.
Thursday evening will serve as a bit of a prelude to the holiday celebrations. At the Main Street Cruise Night, people can check out a variety of hot rods and cool cars in the parking lot of Reim’s, just by Acadia Park.
“There’ll be some music, a barbecue, and they will be accepting donations,” said Tom Steele, fire inspector with the Town of Westville. “It’ll be a good time to gather, check out some of the cars.”
From June 28 to July 1, Westville will also be hosting a midway event in Victoria Park, featuring rides, games of chance, and bingo.
This coming Saturday the mayor and council of Westville will be hosting a good time in Acadia Park, with the mayor and council ice cream social where people can relax with council and enjoy the musical sounds of Pat Spaulding, and the Pictou County Pipes and Drums, starting at 6:30 p.m.
“It’s really just a good time for Pictou County residents to mingle and have a good time in Acadia Park,” said Steele.
Sunday, July 1, will open with an Ecumenical church service in Acadia Park, celebrating Canada Day. This event is sponsored by all of Westville’s churches – so all denominations will be represented.
Canada Day in Westville wouldn’t be Canada Day without the giant street parade. Starting from the end of Spring Garden road at 11 a.m., the parade will wind its way through town toward Victoria Park, where the rest of the events will be taking place.
After the parade, Long Neck Dog will be taking to the Sobeys Stage at 3 p.m. to perform a set of country rock tunes. This will be followed by trophy presentations for award winners in the parade (6 p.m.), and the crowning of Westville’s Canada Day Queen (6:30 p.m.).
At the same stage in Victoria Park, the Pictou-based Kitchen Criminals will play until the next event – the fireworks in Acadia Park, starting at 10 p.m.
“It’ll probably be another good turnout for fireworks,” said Steele, who added that the weather looks good for the day.
