The contributions of one of Windsor's best-known residents will be at the forefront of a two-day event on Canada Day weekend.
The City of Windsor will celebrate the 206th birthday of Hiram Walker with a festival in the heart of Old Walkerville. Plans for the July 1 and July 2 event were announced Tuesday morning.
Mayor Drew Dilkens said that the festival's centrepiece will be the long-awaited unveiling of a statue of the businessman.
"The City Council approved and invested in a project to create this larger-than-life sculpture," said Dilkens. "We welcomed donors to the team, we brought in [sculptors] Mark and Laura Williams, who had some amazing expertise and incredible artistic skill."
The statue is ready and has been in storage. The unveiling was set for last year, but the COVID-19 pandemic put a crimp on those plans.
The Walkerville Art Walk will take place both days of the festival, with street closures in the Old Walkerville area. On Saturday, the statue itself will be unveiled at the corner of Riverside Drive East and Devonshire Road, and a street festival will be held with live music.
A children's village will take place on Devonshire Road. Walkerville Brewery will also feature a special Scotch ale called Hiram's Heritage, available in 500-millilitre commemorative bottles. The J.P. Wiser's Distillery will hold public tours and offer tastings.
Willistead Manor, the historic home of Hiram Walker and his family, is also part of the celebration, with tours offered Saturday afternoon and a "Roaring 20s" fundraiser that evening.
Douglas Sanborn, Willistead Manor Board Chairman, said the pandemic has forced them to seek other outreach methods, which makes the Hiram Walker festival sweeter.
"These past two years, the board and the Friends of Willistead have kept their focus on initiatives that will continue preserving and sharing the story of the Walker family and Willistead Manor far and wide," said Sanborn.
Complete information about the Hiram Walker Birthday Festival can be found on the City of Windsor's official website.
