Canada’s 145th Celebrated in Columbia Lake Fields

On July 1st, as Canada celebrated its 145th birthday, the University of Waterloo again held its annual celebration at Columbia Lake fields. Launched 28 years ago by the Federation of Students, and expected to draw 60 000 – 70 000 visitors, the celebrations feature children’s activities, performances, and live music, and many food choices, the day is a popular celebration drawing many attendees from all over Waterloo and Kitchener.

Many different attractions were available, including those run by student groups and groups from the community. The Children’s Stage featured performances all day long by groups such as the Unaccompanied Minors, Acabellas, and Warrior Band, while the Main Stage had musical performances by various local bands, such as Juice, Wormwood Scrubs, and Steve Parkinson and the Stony Lonesome. There was an arts and crafts fair with many souvenirs available for sale, as well as an Activity World including games for children run by local Boy Scout groups. MathSoc also ran a Fun Fest for children with games such as sponge toss, parachute, and fishing games. In addition, the University of Waterloo Alumni Affairs hosted a face painting booth, popular with children and adults alike.

As always, the Engineering Society was present and ran a Mini Olympics in order to entertain the children (and Iron Warrior editor) present. The Mini Olympics provided children with an opportunity to collect all the letters of CANADA, and then earn a free freezie for their participation! The different stations included the very popular giant waterslide, a dunk tank featuring many dedicated volunteers, hopscotch, tug-of-war, competitive potato sack races, and Canadian trivia. Also in attendance were the Toolbearers and the Tool, available for photo opportunities and to allow kids to learn about Waterloo engineering.

Wrapping up the whole event at 10:00pm was the fireworks show. As Waterloo Region’s largest and most spectacular fireworks display, the show did not disappoint. The fireworks were impressive and varied, lasting 18 minutes, and were a great finish to well-organized and fun day. A big thank you should go out to the engineering Canada Day directors, Katrina MacDonald and Caitlyn Howe, without whom the Mini Olympics would not have happened. Happy birthday, Canada!