The skies over Salmon Arm will be lit up for Canada’s 150th birthday.
Canada 150 committee chair Louise Wallace Richmond confirmed the city is planning to have a 10-minute fireworks show held on a barge off of Canoe Beach as part of an evening July 1 celebration.
City council approved the budget for the Landmarks of Canada Community Picnic budget at Monday’s meeting.
“It is all systems go,” says Wallace Richmond. The community picnic event is designed to take participants on a virtual visit across the country, with stations representing each province and territory set up along the beach.
“Because Canoe Beach is so long and spread out, the idea is to make Canoe Beach Canada form coast to coast. So you can stroll along and visit landmarks from New Brunswick or P.E.I or Nunavut or Manitoba and at each stop there would be some cultural stations with things unique to those areas.”
For example there might be artwork depicting that area, a musician playing regional favourites and at each station there will be an oversized postcard for people to stop and take a selfie as they “journey across the nation.”
Wallace Richmond is also hoping the stations will attract former residents of the places, who might be able to meet other Salmon Arm residents with similar roots or connections.
“I expect the Saskatchewan station to be really busy with all the former residents. It’s away to re-connect with where we came from.”
There will also be an area for participants to come together, listen to Canadian music, dance and have a sing-along, before the fireworks show at 10:20 p.m., exactly when night falls.
“It’s going to be low-key but memorable, I hope. We don’t want to replace the Sicamous and Blind Bay events, which have been going on for more than 20 years. That wouldn’t be very neighbourly of us, but we want to offer another option right here in Salmon Arm,” adds Wallace Richmond.
Participants can bring their own picnics to enjoy, with the idea of being a zero-waste event. The Canoe Beach concession will also be open.
Parking could be the biggest challenge at the site, so residents are encouraged to carpool.
