Canada Day and Port Dover go hand-in-hand.
Port Dover residents and visitors proved that when they gathered once again to celebrate Canada’s birthday following a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic.
The day began with the soap box derby followed by the boat parade in the harbor area, where several boats were decorated in red and white for the celebration.
One of the most popular events was the canine classic dog show where people and their pets – along with many spectators – gathered at Powell Park.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to do anything, it’s nice to see everyone out too,” said Katelyn James, one of the many spectators at the dog show. “It’s been a long few years so it’s great to see everybody out to celebrate this day in particular.”
The day also included a house decorating contest, concert at Silver Lake and fireworks.
The biggest draw of all was the calithumpian parade, a Port Dover mainstay since Confederation. For the past two years, some members of the Port Dover community held small parades to keep the tradition going.
A larger version of the parade returned this year as thousands of people, many covered in red and white, lined the streets waving their Canadian flags, clapping and cheering as the Canada Day parade got underway at 2 pm
“I think it’s great to celebrate with family and friends, to be outside, to get together with people and nice to get back to normal a little bit,” said spectator Nicole Harper. “Since the lockdown, I feel people appreciate it more to get out there and celebrate.”
For some people, the day is also a reminder of what sets Canada apart from other places in the world.
“Hopefully events like this make people think that we are in a pretty good place in this country, with all the other stuff going throughout the world,” said Tim Oldham.
