Canadians show a lot of spirit and know how to party on Canada Day.
That spirit was on full display in the Town of Sidney over the Canada Day long weekend as Sidney Days kicked off - a two-day celebration of food, fun, music, and more.
The party started on Sunday night with opening ceremonies and a concert by The Tune Raiders.
The 6-piece group from Victoria rocked the house (actually the park) with a fresh and vibrant show that left feet tapping, and permanent smiles etched on faces.
Then, to cap off the night, the Sidney Waterfront exploded with a phenomenal fireworks display.
Kenny Podmore, Sidney’s official Town Crier was on hand and said that he’d never seen a better firework show.
“You know, I’ve heard it said that Canadians have become less and less patriotic. Well, I can tell you that Sunday night put that impression to bed, right away,” said Podmore. “I’ve been involved with this for 23 years and I’ve never seen anything like it. There were so many people that you couldn’t even move, and the pride and celebration was incredible.”
Morgan Shaw, the executive director of Explore Sidney, Sidney’s Business Improvement Association, said that the community was thrilled to once again host Sidney Days. She added that the celebration was proof of Sidney’s strong sense of community and welcoming spirit, as visitors to the town arrived to once again sample the party.
And as much fun as Sunday evening’s party was, Monday brought even more fun and celebration.
The Sidney Lions Club started the day with a pancake breakfast at the Mary Winspear Centre courtyard. Folks turned out under a perfect blue sky and tucked into the Lions’ famous pancakes, and then hurried off to get a good seat for the Canada Day Parade.
The parade itself was everything that anyone could have wanted. Starting off with the mandatory pipe band (after all, what parade is complete without bagpipes), it featured a tribute to the region’s rich military history, dance groups, music, classic cars, fanfare and colourful floats. There was even a giant octopus.
Following the parade, crowds moved over to Iroquois Park for the Family Fun Fair. There were games, food, face painting, and loads of entertainment, all in a family friendly environment.
Mathew Holland, who came to the celebrations with his little girl Jamie, loved that atmosphere.
“It’s such a great turnout and it’s so great to see the friendly spirit at this event. We love it,” he said. His little girl, Jamie, seemed to agree, flashing a big smile while clutching her miniature Canadian flag.
Finally, Sidney’s Build A Boat Challenge took place. Community teams assembled to build their own boats and then set sail in what is possibly the world’s slowest boat race. Of course, given that one of the trophies in the event is for the first boat to sink, that speed wasn’t surprising.
Ryan Key, one of the members of the Tar Dogs, said that his team has been competing in the iconic event since 2016,
“We’ve never won, but we won crowd favourite one year and runner up another year. And then there was the year that we won ‘first to sink'", said Key with a sheepish grin. “But the race, like the celebrations in general, is just a lot of fun. Sidney puts a lot of effort into Canada Day, and they manage to deliver a family friendly event with a really wholesome feel.”