While the kids played games, adults took the opportunity to visit at events throughout the region on a Canada Day where the rain held off, for the most part. The oddest event this year was certainly the best legs contest for men at Harrowsmith. Top left - waiting to get into the bouncey castle at Centennial Park (Harrowsmith) - top middle - Cooking up a storm at Gerald Ball Park (Sunbury) - top right, riding the Water Slide at the Point Park in Sydenham, and bottom right, the 2017 150th anniversary committee already promoting their plans for next year at the beach in Sharbot Lake

by Wilma Kenny (with a file by Jeff Green)

Tim Laprade, the Public Works Department, Mike Howe and a huge number of hard-working volunteers made this year’s Canada Day celebrations the township’s best ever. The fun included water slides, face painting, air castles, soccer, parades, excellent food, and dramatic fireworks at Harrowsmith, Sunbury and Sydenham.

In Sydenham, Canada Day crowds were the first to be allowed onto the newly mowed turf of the football field at the Point to watch the fireworks. Boats crowded the lake, and another group watched from the bridge. 9:45 passed, 10:00, and the band continued to play. Fireworks could be heard, and seen, from Centennial Park in Harrowsmith, but there were none on Sydenham Lake. Any announcements that may have been made weren’t heard by people in the boats or on the bridge. By 10:30, people began to drift away. Rumours spread, but no one knew when or whether the fireworks would begin.

Some, the hard-core fireworks addicts, didn’t give up hope until 11:00 and even they were beginning to straggle off, when the show finally began. It was well worth waiting for, better than ever, but many had gone home by then.

It turns out that the company, Fireworks FX, which provided the fireworks to all three venues in South Frontenac (Harrowsmith, Sunbury and Sydenham) were missing some of the fireworks for Sydenham, causing a delay as they had to bring them in. Then, because the Sydenham show was being fired in a different way this year, a threat of lightning in the area had to be taken more seriously than it would have been with a manual firing system.

In an open letter to the residents of South Frontenac, Fireworks FX President Fred Wade, explained what happened.

“The display this year was to be fired differently than previously. It was to be all electrical which presents some unique safety hazards with the weather conditions and the possibility of thunder showers and lightning. The proximity of lightning poses significant safety hazards to the crew in trying to prepare the show, which resulted in a delay.”

However he then said that there were things the company “could have done to help mitigate the lost time and so be able to present the display on time.”

He apologized for the inconvenience and disappointment caused by the long delay, saying, “We would like the community to understand that we take complete responsibility and to offer our sincere apologies to the community and to the committee.”

As well as apologizing, Wade has offered to provide next year’s fireworks show at the Point free of charge. He has also promised that his company will be sure to have better technical and communication systems in 2017.

While Fireworks FX has taken responsibility for the delay, the township is considering how it could have done a better job informing the public about what was going on.

In a letter to residents released on Tuesday, Recreation Coordinator Tim Laprade wrote, “The Township of South Frontenac and the Loughborough District Canada Day Committee are also using this incident to establish a more robust and multi-faceted communication strategy in the event that weather, safety concerns or technical delays are experienced at future events. This will be in place for the 2017 event, so that the Fireworks Site Supervisor is aware of the notification expectations of the Event Organizer and that timely updates can be communicated to the spectators who are viewing from the Point Park or from the waters of Sydenham Lake.”

Canada Day photo essay

Harrowsmith

Sharbot Lake

Sydenham

Canada Day celebrations took place through out the Frontenacs both on the weekend leading up to and on the day of the July 1 holiday.

While the communities of Denigh, Arden, Long Lake and Kennebec Lake, Bedford, Ompah, Snow Road and Verona held their celebrations on the weekend before the holiday, the villages of Sydenham, Storrington, Sharbot Lake and Harrowsmith chose to hold their celebrations on the holiday Tuesday and despite a rather grim weather forecast, the celebrations (so far, as of mid afternoon Tuesday when this article was submitted) went off without a hitch though the day was a hot and humid one.

Some volunteers did plan changes of venue in case of inclement weather and in Sharbot Lake the festivities planned to move indoors to Oso Hall if need be with talk of delaying the fireworks until the following weekend if necessary.

In Harrowsmith the plethora of colourful classic vintage cars were a hit and in Sharbot Lake it was the parade fairies and the gathering of hundreds of holiday goers at Oso Beach following the parade that made for a fun and relaxing day. Thanks to the all of the service clubs, community groups, organizations and individual volunteers who continue to make the Canada Day Holiday in the Frontenacs one to remember each and every summer, rain or shine.

Mike Howe, who along with John Trousdale coordinated the Canada Day celebrations in Sydenham, credits many generous and hard-working volunteers with making the event a success. “It’s always harder to draw a crowd when July 1st falls on a weekend,” said Howe, “a lot of folks go off to the cottage, then come in at night for the fireworks.”

Certainly, the pyrotechnics Monday night were amazing, in spite of threatening rain showers and wind gusts. A show like that is expensive: as well as grants, the SHS students donated $500, and the Sydenham Lake Association $1,000, half of which they collected by kayak, canvassing the boats in the bay during last year’s fireworks.

Howe also spoke of the hands-on, all-day assistance from the many members of the Sydenham Lions Club, and SHS student council leaders Alex Green and Jess Bell. The Canoe Club managed the food concession, and after the parade, a day-long line-up of local musicians kept folks at the Point entertained. The children's activities were well attended: bouncing castle, pony rides, and most especially face-painting, the latter organized by Ann Barlow.

Well the weather could have been better, but it also could have been worse but that did not keep patriotic celebrants from enjoying a plethora of activities put on by countless community/recreation groups and their army of volunteers, who work so hard every year to make Canada Day one to remember in North, Central and South Frontenac. Revelers from here and afar took part in the numerous parades, flotillas, and a wide variety of all day festivities in Sydenham, Harrowsmith, Arden, Verona, Sharbot Lake, Parham, Matawatchan, Snow Road, Ompah, McDonalds Corners, Ompah, Wilton and Denbigh. Activities included duct tape boat races, scenic cruises and of course, a wealth of children's activities, plus live musical entertainment on many stages by many local musicians - and lots of food of course. Many celebrations of course ended with spectacular fireworks in the sky. And so once again ended another birthday party in Canada and it seemed that another very good time was had by all who said phooey to the thermometers and the clouds overhead.