Canada Day began in Assiniboia with a free pancake breakfast in Central Park from 9-11 a.m. Southland Co-op provided the food to more than 400 people, who gathered at the park or sat at the tables arranged on 2nd Avenue East. Next, a parade lit up Centre Street from 11-11:30 a.m. According to Linda Hall – the parade’s main organizer – there were 25 floats registered for the festive and patriotic occasion.
In addition to the floats from the Legion, the Town of Assiniboia and other local interests and businesses, some of the children in town rode along Centre Street on their bicycles in celebration of the national holiday. There were marchers too, including Air Cadets Squadron 20 from Gravelbourg and the team from the Assiniboia Aquatic Centre.
At 12 p.m. Assiniboia’s law enforcement and emergency services gathered at the Aquatic Centre for the Chili Cookoff in the parking lot.
Later in the afternoon, there were an assortment of activities in town, such as games, a bouncy castle, beach volleyball and pickleball. Free swimming happened at the Aquatic Centre from 12-8 p.m. Toonie Bingo ensued at the Kin Hut starting at 2 p.m. At 3 p.m. outside of the Aquatic Centre, a long queue gathered as the Canada Day 2019 cake was cut, then served to several people of all ages. Assiniboians ended Canada Day with fireworks in Centennial Park at dusk.
Although conditions were favourable for dangerous thunderstorms, wind gusts, hail and even heavy rain in Southwest Saskatchewan, most of the weather for Canada Day in town ranged from the mid to high 20s with lots of sun, despite clouds in the late afternoon and a brief rainstorm in the early part of the evening.
Funding for the Canada Day events this year came from the federal government. In relevance to preserving Canadian heritage, the Government of Canada subsidizes activities on July 1 and other national days of interest in locations throughout the country.
