Ladysmith has it all — and the organizers behind Ladysmith Days are ready to prove it Aug. 10-12 with a weekend filled with games, food, music and fun for the whole family.
Ladysmith Days is set for Aug. 11 and 12 downtown and at Transfer Beach. This year’s theme is Ladysmith Has It All.
“We’re a small committee that puts this together, and we try our best to include lots of fun things for everybody because it’s a family thing,” said Melody Smythies, a director with the Ladysmith Celebrations Society. “Ladysmith Days is a real family event.”
The weekend of celebration kicks off Aug. 10 when Coronation Mall celebrates Customer Appreciation Day from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
There will be a bouncy castle, roaming entertainment, children’s activities, live music, clowns, balloons, fundraisers for Tour de Rock, giveaways, draws and in-store specials.
Activities on Aug. 11 take place mostly downtown and at Aggie Field.
It all starts with the Rotary Club pancake breakfast at 7 a.m. at the Ladysmith Credit Union parking lot.
The First Avenue Street Market runs from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. from Buller Street to Warren Street. Hosted by the Ladysmith Chamber of Commerce the Street Market features a huge variety of vendors offering everything from jewelry, crafts and glass to carving, tupperware and knives.
“We’re hoping for a good turnout,” said Smythies. “A lot of vendors were really pleased last year. We had a lot of happy people. I think having the parade and the people already in town to go past the market is definitely a good draw and a big benefit.”
Judging of the Kinsmen Parade entries begins at 8:30 a.m., and the parade starts at 10 a.m., then travels along First Avenue.
Before the parade begins, though, one dedicated community member will be honoured as Ladysmith’s 2012 Citizen of the Year. The award presentation will take place at 10 a.m. at the Ladysmith and District Credit Union parking lot.
New this year is Ladysmith Has Royalty, which will take place right before Ladysmith Has Talent in the library parking lot at 11:45 a.m.
Participants will be chosen at random from the audience, and they will have to perform certain tasks — which will be revealed online on Aug. 1.
The person who receives the most cheers from the audience for performing the four simple tasks will be declared the winner.
The winner and his or her family will be declared the Royal Family for the rest of Ladysmith Days and will receive front of the line for everything on Saturday and Sunday, the best seat in the house for Ladysmith Has Talent, dinner on Saturday night for the whole family and the best seats in the house for the fireworks. The Royal Family of Ladysmith prize will be given for a maximum of six people.
“It’s a family-oriented thing,” said Smythies. “We want to get families in and bring their friends in to cheer for them.”
Starting at noon, the second annual Ladysmith Has Talent contest will be held at the library parking lot.
Application forms can be picked up and dropped off at the Chamber of Commerce office at 411B First Ave. The application deadline is Aug. 3.
Smythies says there were 12-15 applicants last year who showcased talents ranging from singing and dancing to painting to music and playing guitar.
“It was fun last year,” she said. “We had a good crowd.”
The contest is open to performers of all ages, and there are various age categories for prizes. The winners in each age group will perform at the Transfer Beach Amphitheatre on Aug. 12.
Over at Aggie Field, 49th Parallel Family Fun Day from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. features fun for everyone.
There will be face painting, a balloon artist, hot dogs, bouncers and much more.
There will be an ice cream eating contest at noon and live music by Evan Miller from noon to 3 p.m.
From 4-6 p.m., Transfer Beach will be the site of many old-fashioned family games.
On Aug. 12, the Eagles pancake breakfast at Eagles Hall will get everything started from 8-11 a.m.
There will be a huge variety of events at Transfer Beach, starting at 10 a.m. and ending with the fireworks sponsored by Ladysmith and District Credit Union at 9:30 p.m.
There will be food and craft vendors, free kids’ kayaking, a kids’ zone, the Tiger Lily Farm petting zoo and pony rides, children’s games and activities and the annual Sealegs Kayaking sand volleyball tournament from 1-3 p.m.
There will be lifeguards at Transfer Beach from 1-5 p.m.
This year, the entertainment is moving to the Transfer Beach Amphitheatre. There will be live music from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., featuring Bethel Bands Together, Kendall Patrick, Skellig, the Odds and many others.
For more information and full schedules for each day, click here and watch for our Ladysmith Days program in the Aug. 7 edition of the Chronicle.
