It was a birthday party that was 150 years in the making.
If you were there, you were a part of history.
If not, you may have missed out in a big way.
The community of Outlook rolled out the red (and white) carpet and celebrated everything Canadian over the Canada Day weekend with festivities that may rival that of communities of similar size across the country.
However, the party didn’t start with just the actual July 1 long weekend, as many can attest to. Outlook’s celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday kicked off more than two weeks ago on June 15 when over 700 people stood together on the Outlook High School football field to make up a human flag, and on June 24, a special ceremony held at the cemetery by the Outlook Legion recognized local veterans who had served in the wars of the world.
It all culminated in the July 1 weekend, where a long list of events, features and attractions drew large, enthusiastic crowds and undoubtedly helped to significantly boost Outlook’s population for at least a few days.
For live theatre fans, Equinox Theatre’s three-show run of “Anne of Green Gables” was a crowd-pleasing affair, with the sold-out run being a big hit with attendees both young and young-at-heart.
The morning of Canada Day kicked off with a pancake breakfast at the Heritage Centre before people began lining the streets in their vehicles or relaxing in chairs in order to get the best view possible of the parade. Starting at 11:00, the parade floats began snaking down Franklin Street as crowds cheered, and a number of them were immediate hits with kids, including Frosted Flakes mascot Tony the Tiger and the Canada goose from the Outlook Wildlife Federation. With a number of floats speaking to local businesses and organizations, as well as putting a spotlight on the cultural diversity in the community, the half-hour parade was a major highlight for those who made it a part of their Canada Day experience.
The opening ceremonies, which also took part on a closed-off section of Franklin Street, also drew a large audience that only grew during the afternoon. After the local community choir was on hand to perform a few numbers, perhaps the most prideful rendition of O Canada ever sung in Outlook was performed to begin the ceremony, led by a culturally-diverse group of foreign students enrolled in the locally-offered English as a Subsequent Language course.
Donna Smith served as MC and introduced Outlook mayor Ross Derdall, who gave greetings on behalf of the town, while Arm River MLA Greg Brkich was on hand to say hi on behalf of the province. Justin Turton then took to the microphone and had a small friend with him; young Isabella Theoret, who was this year’s Canada Day Parade Princess. As part of her ‘duties’, the cute youngster was decked out in the proper princess wardrobe and given her very own float in the morning parade, waving to her public as she strolled by.
Ceremonial cake was enjoyed by those in attendance, served up by Turton, Kyle McLeod, Maureen Applin, and even MLA Brkich helped hand out slices of the sweet desert.
The afternoon entertainment was a list of local musical talent, featuring Marcia Orton, Spencer McKnight, the River Bottom Boys, Courtney Clark, and the Myrol Brothers.
Elsewhere around town, the Reel Theatre offered free cartoons throughout the day, and the museum grounds featured a concession, a kids’ zone with inflatable slides and bouncy castles, and a live petting zoo featuring some popular farmyard animals that were a big hit.
Over at the Jim Kook Rec Plex ball diamonds, the Outlook Ice Hawks hockey team organized a slow-pitch ball tournament for the day, allowing for sports fans to head over and take in a game or two.
By suppertime, people started milling about and left to do their own thing, though the pulled pork supper offered at the Heritage Centre and the Legion Hall proved to be a delicious hit.
The festivities were capped on July 1 with a loud, raucous fireworks display that drew hundreds of people to the diamond grounds at the Rec Plex.
On Sunday, July 2, a town-wide church service was offered inside the Rec Plex, drawing another massive crowd and serving as something of a wind-down of the busy weekend festivities.
Indeed, Outlook’s Canada 150 celebrations were one for the local history books, and the smiles seen on hundreds of faces showed that it was enjoyed by all who came out to celebrate this incredible country in a one-of-a-kind community.
Congratulations and thank you to the Canada 150 Committee and all the volunteers for providing the community with such a great weekend.
