The smell of pancakes, sausages and sunscreen greeted the early visitors to Mission’s annual Canada Day celebrations at Fraser River Heritage Park.
The park was quickly filling up Tuesday morning, and a sea of red and Canadian flags wended its way through the crowd of families coming down to take advantage of a day of free activities.
The sun is already high in the sky and temperatures are expected to crest 33 degrees Celsius today, so make sure to pack your sunblock.
A number of kids’ events and activities were already underway, while the larger shows such as the Matsqui Flyball and Agility, and Mission Loggers were just starting to get set up.
As breakfast winded down, the Elks were busy preparing all the fixings for hamburgers, as containers of chopped lettuce, onions and tomatoes filled side tables next to the service organization’s mobile kitchen.
And there’s still time to head down and enjoy a multitude of free events, in honour of the nation’s birthday.
The Canadian Tire Kid Zone runs until 5 p.m., and features pony rides, a petting zoo, bouncy castle, face painting, hay rides and more.
There are also a number of on-going activities running throughout the day, including a giant climbing wall, martial arts demonstrations, the Mission Fire/Rescue Service’s Junior Firefighter Challenge, crafts and pioneer games, and potato sack races.
A flag raising ceremony happens at 11:30 a.m.
Always a crowd favourite, the Matsqui Flyball and Agility club hosts its annual demonstration of canine talent, with shows running at 11 a.m., 1:15 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
The humorous Mission Municipal Forest Logger’s Show is put on at 11:30 a.m., 1:45 p.m., and 4 p.m., while the Piper McKenzie Daredevil Show runs at 12:30 p.m., 2:45 p.m. and 5 p.m.
And if you just want to sit back and relax, there’s also free music and entertainment happening until 10 p.m.
The Wee Wigglers, Valley Stars Cheerleaders, Mission Pipe Band, Mission’s Got Talent competition, Mother Mayhem and more take the stage throughout the day.
The fireworks show, put on by Northern Lights, is consistently a fun time, and that starts at 10 p.m. to cap the day’s activities.
For more information visit http://www.mission.ca/municipal-hall/departments/parks-recreation-culture/canada-day-celebrations.
Note that Fifth Avenue and other streets will be closed July 1 until 11 p.m. and that vehicles must access Fraser River Heritage Park from Seventh Avenue.
