Claire Periard from the Corbeil Four Seasons Club walks along side her club’s parade entry at Callander’s annual FunFest and Canada Day celebrations.
Singing along with the musicians playing inside the covered float, it was clear that Periard was having a good time.
“This is beautiful. This is our fourth year getting involved in the Callander parade. The crowd is super. They’re actually singing with us on a lot of the songs. It is just great. I’m loving it,” grinned Periard.
In the crowd watching Periard and the other parade participants was five-year-old Olivia visiting from Kitchener.
In one hand she held on to her freezie which volunteers were handing out along the route, and in her other little hand, she waved a small Canadian flag one of countless flags being distributed during the parade.
Olivia watched excitedly as the floats passed by, giving a running commentary on everything she saw.
“I like that there are lots of clowns, and that we can go in the water. My freezie is good” she said taking another lick.
Grandmother Carol Thorn said Olivia really wanted to see the parade and play in the bouncy castle at the Callander waterfront.
“This is awesome,” said Thorn.
“When we’re done here, we’re going to go listen to some good country music which we never pass up. There is really something for everybody.”
It wouldn’t be a parade without the Callander Legion Pipe Band.
Band member Lloyd Stamp is proud of the volunteer group.
“It is an opportunity to get out and do our stuff, and it is wonderful. We’ve been doing this for about 30 years I would say. The crowd is great. No one runs away,” laughed Stamp.
“There are lots of smiles and people applauding so it is nice to be a part of it all. We have a big band today because North Bay joined us. We normally have about 10 members in our band. We’ll be back again next year.”
For the past decade, Ashley Seguin and her family have made the celebration a family tradition.
“I really enjoy it. I think it is really well run and there are lots of things to do with the kids. Everyone is out enjoying the nice weather, and you get to see a lot of people you haven’t seen in awhile. It is a great family, friendly event,” said Seguin.
“I’ve brought my daughter since she was about 6 months old and she’s 10 years old now, so we’ve been coming a long time. I like the parade the most.”
Every year Jim and Cecile Farmer look forward to taking in the all the fun.
“I always enjoy the parade. I’ve been coming for 18 years. The highlight for me is the pipe band. You see them everywhere. I like the people in the band, but I’m not musical at all,” laughed Farmer.
Unable to march with the Legion flag group this year Cecile, dressed in red and white, got a different perspective watching from the sidelines.
“I was cheering them on this year. I’m so proud of Callander because we put on such a good display for such a little town and I love it,” said Cecile.
“I’ve always loved the band. Always, always loved the band. And the antique cars. They bring back a lot of memories with those old cars.”
Callander Mayor Hec Lavigne is also proud of the event.
“It started a good number of years ago. I don’t know how many, but I’ve been around for 20 of them. They actually referred to it as “old home week” years ago where families originally from Callander came back for the weekend and that is how the celebration started so it evolved from there,” explained Lavigne.
“Callander is such a great place to live and such a great place to play. We have the lake, we have parks, it is ideal for family outings and this is a really great event.”
Callander’s FunFest is always held in advance of the traditional July 1st Canada Day celebrations.
“Unless July 1st falls on the Saturday, it is always the Saturday before. That way we don’t have to compete with other communities,” said Lavigne.
FunFest draws residents from Callander and neighbouring municipalities.
“Actually, there are some people from Australia that are visiting so that is kind of neat.”
The day started off with a pancake breakfast followed by a pie judging contest, games for the whole family, live music, as well as several artisans and food vendors.
The First Callander Girl Guides entry of unicorns and magic won for best float.
