Prince Rupert prepares to celebrate Canada's 140th Birthday

Mariners Park once again will be awash in Red and White as Prince Rupert comes out to celebrate Canada's birthday. The festivities get underway at Noon and continue on until 5 pm in the park with a cake, music, the singing of O Canada and the swearing in of twenty eight new Canadians.

In the late evening, fireworks will shoot across the Prince Rupert harbour as the birthday celebrations come to an end, showtime for the fireworks is at 11:15 pm, with your best vantage point to be Mariners Park.

The Daily News featured all the details in Friday's paper.

Canada Day party to end in waterfront fireworks
By Christian Webber
The Daily News
Friday, June 29, 2007
Pages one and three

Twenty eight New Canadians will be sworn in at the Prince Rupert citizenship swearing-in ceremony that will take place at Mariner's Park on Sunday, July 1, as part of Canada's 140th birthday celebrations.

As well as this ceremony, there will be 34 other citizenship ceremonies across Canada on July 1, involving some 1,700 new Canadians.

The new Canadians living in Prince Rupert are from 15 countries around the world. Presiding over the ceremony will be Citizenship Judge Vera Radyo.

The celebrations will be held at Mariners Park from noon to 5 p.m.
Starting at 12 p.m there will be the singing of O Canada led by Cynthia Pyde. (in both French and English)

Next up will be the handing out of Canada flags, pins and Canadian memorabilia. Then, the Flag Raising to be done by Captain Cook Sea Cadets and the RCMP.

There will also be congratulations Canada speeches from the Tsimshian Nation, RCMP, and Royal Canadian Legion.

From 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. is the Citizenship Ceremony, with congratulations speeches by MLA Gary Coons, MP Nathan Cullen and Mayor Herb Pond.

At 1:30 p.m. there will be the cutting of the gigantic birthday cake at the special events tent.
"We're trying to get some local dancers to come as well, and some local fiddlers," said Cindy Fitton, of the Prince Rupert Special Events Society.

Some 750 tree seedlings will be given away for people to take home and plant. The give-away is part of the Watch It Grow program sponsored by Heritage Canada. Fitton said people can pick up a seedling at the balloon tent. They will be handed out by the scouts and the pathfinders. Prince Rupert Special Events Society got a mixture of spruce and pine to share out.

"Please plant them somewhere nice," said Fitton.

She said the tree seedlings represent the new citizens beginning a new family in a new country.
This year, there is a partnership between the Department of Canadian Heritage and Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, and the seedlings themselves were donated by Pacific Regeneration Technologies.

On Canada Day, there will also be a Canadian history quiz for adults to try. The quiz is on a combination of history and economics. Everyone is encouraged to come try it out, there are some difficult and some easier questions to test your Canadian knowledge.

A small prize will be awarded for the person getting the most correct answers.

There will also be a pet parade, organized by the SPCA, that is set to start at 2 p.m. Everyone is invited to bring down their pets all decked out in a Special Canada Day Outfit to join the parade.
Activities for Children include, from 1:30-2:30 p.m. children's games in the grassy area over by the Japanese boat. Ribbons and prizes will be given out to participants.

Activities will include wheelbarrow racing, leap frog, beanbag toss, egg and spoon races, three-legged race, sack race, backwards race, paper airplane toss and more.

There will also be face-painting, tattoos, helium balloons and bubble blowing at the special events tent all afternoon. All the activities are free.

The fireworks are set to go off at 11:15 p.m. They will be launched in the harbour and the best place to view them will be from Mariner's Park.