After months of planning and preparation, the Canora in Bloom and Canada 150 celebration took place in Canora from July 16 to 22.
The majority of the planning was carried out by Aaron Herriges, director of leisure services, and Brandi Zavislak, community development officer.
After the week was over, Zavislak declared the celebration a huge success, stating, “I am beyond proud of the generous outpouring of positive feedback from the community.”
Zavislak said many local residents commented on how much fun the week was for the entire family and how “Canora has never seen so many great entertainers in one venue.”
Zavislak said she and Herriges put in many hours in preparation for the event, but had no doubt that all the hard work was worthwhile. She said it was an honour to be part of the celebration.
“It all paid off very nicely when we looked around and saw all the smiling faces and everyone enjoying themselves,” she said. “We are very happy with how great it was for the community and how many people it brought to town. We were told the town and stores were extremely busy so this event was a boost for the Canora economic community.”
The Canada 150 Outdoor Family Festival officially kicked off with the opening ceremonies on July 22.
Mayor Gina Rakochy commended citizens for successfully rising up to the challenge of hosting the week-long event and making visitors feel very welcome, in the true spirit of Canora. She told everyone in attendance that she hoped to visit with as many of them as possible during the day.
Terry Dennis, Canora-Pelly MP, addressed the gathering. “We really know how to party in Saskatchewan,” he said.
Dennis paid tribute to everyone who put in all the hard work to make the event possible when he said, “This is the kind of people we have in Canora.”
When it was time for remarks from Cathay Wagantall, Yorkton-Melville MP, she admitted to the gathering that is one of her favourite parts of her job, to enjoy a celebration of Canada 150. She reminded them that “As nations go, Canada is still a youngster.”
But she went on to add that in spite of its relative youth compared to many other countries, Canada is one of the richest, most envied countries in the world.
