Duane Hicks
Organizers
looking ahead
to next year
With this year’s Canada Day activities proving to be a hit, the local Canada Day Celebrations Committee is not resting on its laurels and already is eyeing what to do next year.
Committee chair Randy Thoms said the group will be meeting in a couple weeks to assess how all the different events went.
“We’re already looking to next year,” he enthused. “We’ve got lots of things planned, ideas that we want to look at for next year.
“So, we want to start some of that planning early and meet in a couple weeks’ time to look at everything we did this year, find out our strengths, look at our weaknesses, and see what we can work on and maybe bring for next year,” Thoms added.
One area to be discussed will be fundraising. Thoms said the July 1 parade this year included volunteers carrying donation boxes to collect cash to help pay for Canada Day activities—and parade-goers proved generous.
“We raised a good pile of money that helped pay for some of the events,” he noted.
“We haven’t counted all the money, but there may be even a little bit left over so we can have some kind of a fund for next year.
“That’s one of the things we’re going look at doing is more fundraising throughout the year,” Thoms stressed.
“The donation boxes may be in businesses throughout the year, asking people to throw in a few pennies or nickels or dimes to help us get on good financial footing for next year.”
Thoms said he would like to see plans in place for next year far in advance of July 1.
“My goal is by the time June rolls around next year, the only thing we’ll be dealing with is the parade, maybe some minor logistics, and the advertising,” he remarked.
“That’s the only thing we should be doing in June.
“I think everything else this year was probably done by June—there was a few minor things that had to be done—but next year, I am on board, my wife (Sally) is on board, we have all of our committee members on board,” Thoms added.
“I think Dawn Booth is going to be stepping down, but she’s been there a long time.
“I think she wants to take a rest but she was really helpful, too,” he said.
While the current Canada Day Celebrations Committee has been energized by its success, it is clear they’ll need more helping hands in the future.
“That was one of things we could have used more of, was more volunteers, especially in the Bingo [at Pither’s Point],” Thoms chuckled.
“I ended up doing it myself for about an hour or so, and then we got a couple of people showing up. . . .
“It made for a long day at the Bingo,” he admitted.
“That’s the thing right now—more volunteers,” Thoms later added. “That’s probably our biggest need going into the new year.”
Anyone interested in getting involved can contact the Thoms at 274-5634.
Plenty of people turned out on July 1, helping make for one of the most successful Canada Day celebrations Fort Frances has seen in recent years.
“I am pleased with how events went on Canada Day,” said Thoms. “I attribute it to the committee that had been formed months before myself and my wife [Sally] got on board.
“So, the volunteers that helped with those committees, their organization in advance, really helped things go the way they were.
“It’s a testament to the volunteers that we have on our committee that really pulled through, and helped everything become a great success,” Thoms later noted.
“I would definitely say this year’s event was a success,” echoed Booth, the committee’s treasurer.
“As with any event, there are always things that can be improved upon, added to, or changed for next year,” she conceded.
“But all in all, it was a great day with lots of people out and about enjoying the festivities.
“And the weather co-operated so that’s a bonus.
“Considering we had three different leaders between January and Canada Day, we managed to put together a great event with lots of activities for every one of all ages,” added Booth.
“Randy Thoms really deserves a pat on the back for stepping up at the last minute as chair and really making sure everything was set to go,” she stressed.
Booth pointed out this was the first year without long-time volunteer Paul Bock at the reins.
“It was a learning experience, even for someone like me who’s been on the committee for 13 years,” she remarked.
Canada Day activities included a pancake breakfast at the local Legion, followed by the parade along the La Verendrye Parkway.
Donned in red and white, families lined the street to watch the dozen floats, along with numerous individuals walking or on bikes, classic cars and emergency vehicles, and the Bemidji High School Lumberjack Band.
Float winners were the 2011 Mini King and Queen contestants, Borderland Roller Derby, and Gerber’s Produce, who received Boston Pizza gift cards for $150, $100, and $50, respectively.
“I was very happy with the parade, the number of participants and the floats,” said Thoms.
“We heard a lot of positive comments about the parade, so we were very happy with that.”
Out at Pither’s Point, there was a 4-on-4 beach volleyball tournament, fun and games for kids, bouncer castles, laser tag, a family scavenger hunt, food booths, the Energy Fitness’ 1K kids’ run, horseshoes, open mic karaoke, live music by several area artists, the infamous Great Canadian Bathtub Races, and Bingo.
There also was the Mini King and Queen contest, which this year featured 20 boys and girls in total.
Liam Dent and Piper Lidkea were named this year’s Mini King and Queen, but all the participants received a gift.
Pageant organizer Melissa Gushulak said the event went well, sporting twice as many contestants as last year.
“The more you can involve, the better the event is, obviously,” she reasoned.
“They all walked away with a big bag full of goodies, so I think they were all happy with that.”
Gushulak noted the $5 entry fee this year made it possible to have more contestants, on top of what sponsors contributed to the event.
“We learn from each year what can be different for next year, and try to keep on improving the event,” she noted.
“This was the first year [the] Mini King and Queen was held on July 1, and I think it went really well.
“It adds another event to the day.
“It depends on what the committee decides for next year, but we’ll probably try to keep it July 1,” Gushulak added.
“I was really pleased with number of people that turned out, the Mini King and Queen contest seemed to attract a lot of people,” agreed Thoms.
A fireworks display, presented by the Canada Day Celebrations Committee and Town of Fort Frances, rounded out the festivities at dusk.
Despite the mosquitoes, there was no shortage of spectators “ooh-ing” and “aah-ing” at the impressive pyrotechnic display, with some people even commenting they were the best they had seen here in years.
This year’s Canada Day Celebrations Committee consisted of: Randy Thoms (chair); Randy and Sally Thoms (parade coordinators); Dawn Booth (treasurer); Melissa Gushulak (Mini-King and Queen); Dave Coats and Hal Mickelson (fireworks); entertainment coordinator Sandy Allan; Sarah Gould/Amy Wilson-Hands (beach volleyball tournament); Jordan Allan (set-up); Nicole Campbell (Energy Fitness 1K kids’ run); Mike Anderson, Joan Allison, and Lynda Richardson (kids’ activities); and Gord Calder (horseshoe tournament).
