On Friday, July 1st, the City of Yellowknife once again came together in celebration of the country we all hold close to our hearts.
Canada Day has come and gone once again. Yellowknife celebrated the day with a reverence like no other. For the first time in two years, a parade brought laughter and cheer to the city. While many businesses and organizations took their expected places in the miniature convoy, everyday people were also invited to add their vehicles to the line and share in the national pride. Runners, firetrucks, RC cars, various cultural groups, dancers, and even one individual on a unicycle flowed down Franklin Avenue for all to see.
It wasn’t just a parade that helped Yellowknife celebrate Canada Day, however. The Yellowknife Racquet Club held a few rounds of slo-pitch baseball, and Somba Ke Park was quickly filled with locals and guests to enjoy musical entertainment, bouncy houses for the kids, food trucks and vendors, and a beautiful day devoid of dark clouds and pestering insects.
MLA Caroline Wawzonek shared a quick comment; what Canada Day means to her.
“It’s a day to celebrate some of the shared values that we all have, and I was thinking about it this morning, what a great country where we can disagree strongly, but then come together on a day like this and celebrate the fact that we actually are still in it together. It’s a wonderful feeling.”
Wawzonek added that she was rather excited to take part in this year’s parade, as it was the first time she had ever been given the chance to take part in a parade of any kind.
In the end, Canada Day represents the best of what we can be. It shows us that while we may not always agree on topics, and that there are still mistakes from our past that have yet to be addressed, this is a country where everyone can feel welcome. It is a country where someone can clearly trace their roots to other countries and cultures, and still say with pride “I am Canadian.”
Happy Canada Day from everyone at MyTrueNorthNow!
