ATHABASCA – Athabascans will have no shortage of things to do July 1 this year thanks to the hard work of community groups including the Athabasca Classic Cruisers, the Chamber of Commerce and local artists.
“It’s definitely a community and country spirit thing for sure,” said chamber President Rick Baksza, whose organization runs the yearly Canada Day Parade.
The parade is the Canada day kick-off for many locals; each year, people set up chairs along 50 Ave and 50 St, eager to see what rumbles past after Baksza gives the go ahead.
“There are no requirements for pre-registration … We’ve got kids on bikes, companies with big trailers,” said Baksza. “This year we had a lot of inquiries and I do know there’s going to be horses back in the parade again which is exciting.”
The Chamber’s traditional Canada Day fireworks have been moved this year, with the show set to start at 11:00 p.m. June 30 instead.
“It’s a workday on the second and we felt that it wasn’t the best turnout or (would) work for everybody,” said Baksza. “Canada Day fireworks have to be so late because it’s so bright out so we have to have them later in the evening.”
Despite the date change, Baksza promised a spectacular show — thanks to fundraising efforts, he said they were able to go bigger than they had in the past.
Passion projects and daily drivers
The Athabasca Classic Cruisers will be set up on 51 St like normal, with the show starting at noon after the parade has finished. Dan Huber, a long-time club member and volunteer, said the group expected to draw between 50 and 80 entries, depending on the weather.
“There’s a lot of people up and down the street looking at cars, so you get to meet lots of people,” said Huber, who’ll be running the registration desk this year. “Plus, the cars are pretty neat to look at.”
The neat-looking cars will be sure to draw a crowd — while Canada Day is the largest event the Cruisers take part in each year, Huber said the men and women had a busy year. Stops at Landing Trail Intermediate School and Edwin Parr Composite School gave old and young aficionados a chance to meet up and talk shop, and Huber said the passion caught him off guard.
“I was surprised by that, the ten-year-olds that were interested in cars. Some of the questions they had were pretty good,” said a chuckling Huber.
Attendees will also get the chance to vote for their favourite vehicles, with a Voter’s Choice Award being presented each year alongside the winners in each category.
Something for everyone
Athabasca’s newest Canada Day event has been slowly gaining traction in the post-pandemic years. Seven local artists will be displaying their works in an all-day gallery at the historic train station, starting at 10 a.m.
“It really gets a lot of creatives in the community together, said Jovi Klak, local artist and event organizer. “It’s always so great when different people come out of the woodwork and you’re like, ‘I didn’t know this person painted or that person!’”
The showcase features a variety of artistic media, including classics like acrylic and oil paintings, but this year’s rendition also features an “art for health” demo put on by a local.
“She’s going to have a little interactive table set up and she’ll be doing some pen and watercolour exercises,” said Klak. “We’re really open to trying new things and having as many interested people come out and participate, or just look around.”
Registration is closed for this year’s showcase, but Klak encouraged any local creatives to reach out for next year’s event — she can be reached at [email protected].
“It’s an open community show, and whoever would like to participate, we’d be happy to have them,” she said.
