Kelso Beach Park is the place to be this weekend for the start of the Maawanji'iding: Festival Canadiana Owen Sound.
Friday, June 30th is Owen Sound Day and rain or shine, the gates will open at 5 p.m.
Tonight's event includes bouncy castles and games for the kids, food vendors, artisan market, and a fantastic entertainment program including the Georgian Bay Children's Choir, The Métissage Collective telling Owen Sound's untold stories in music and spoken word, Our Shotgun Wedding, Jensen & Walker, the #MyOwenSound video by local students, and the rocking band Grey Road One with Pete Devlin and Trevor Mackenzie.
Admission to the Festival is free. Watch for the roving volunteers if you want to show your appreciation with a donation to support the festivities. The first 97 people who make a cash donation after 5:00 PM June 30th will receive a free commemorative Owen Sound dollar coin from 1980, donated by Rob and June Shouldice.
There will be no outside lane closure of Eddie Sargent Parkway for parking this year, but public parking is available outside the park fence, on nearby streets where permitted, and at the Keystone Child and Family Services building at 1793 3rd Avenue East.
Festival organizers are still looking for volunteers to fill 4 hour shifts in various roles, especially for next weekend July 7 to 9. To register, visit our volunteer booth on site or go to www.celebration2017.ca and click on Get Involved.
Everything is online! The best pages for complete activity information are here and here.
One-sheet programs are available at the park.