A newly formed volunteer group is working to bring Canada Day celebrations back to South Huron.
Jonathon Roulston of the Huron Togetherness Project spoke at South Huron council this week, outlining plans for a weekend of festivities.
"The plans we have include concerts on all three days, fireworks, a car show and parade, a bike rodeo, youth activities like face painting and cookie decorating, an art class, community organization kiosks and a cornhole tournament," Roulston shared. "And the list is continuing to grow, as there are several other things in the works."
The group requested permission to use local venues like the South Huron Rec Centre fields and rodeo ring, the library parking lot, and the downtown parkette, as well as for extended concert hours.
"It is our goal to keep these events free and accessible as possible for the public. Instead of charging fees, we are encouraging donations," he explained. "For the Cornwall tournament, there is a $5 entry fee per person, but $4 of that is going towards prizes for the tournament, and the remaining $1 is donated to local mental health initiatives. For the concerts, we'll be accepting physical donations for the food bank distribution centre and cash donations for mental health supports."
While council hasn’t made any decisions yet, officials say they’ll work with the group as plans move forward.
Roulston revealed they want to celebrate on the weekend of June 27 to 29 for several reasons.
"One, Canada Day falls on a Tuesday this year," he pointed out. "Two, hosting the events over a weekend allows for multiple days of celebration. And three, we understand that other nearby communities are holding events on Canada Day itself."
Roulston said a growing list of community partners is getting behind the project.
“It sounds very promising,” Mayor George Finch said. “There’s lots of opportunity there.”
Roulston said a small group formed the Huron Togetherness project to bring the people together and ignite community spirit.