Queen hopefuls gearing up for crowning

With Canada Day coming up this Sunday, residents should be looking to finalize their long weekend plans by keeping in mind the full slate of activities set to go here. With the big celebration falling on a Sunday, church-goers need not be concerned as they won’t have to choose between Canada Day celebrations and attending services. For instance, the annual Canada Day parade has been moved to a 1 p.m. start time from its usual 11 a.m. slot. The parade will be the first activity of the day for the five Fun in the Sun queen contestants—Sydney Boustead, Rachel Dutton, Danielle Payne, Holly Strain, and Paula Vangel—vying for the 2007 crown, which will be awarded later in the day. Alyssa Holliday will wear the crown for the final time Sunday before turning it over to this year’s winner. 2006 First Princess Liz Black and Second Princess Shanna Ewald also will be on hand for the crowning ceremony. This year’s parade theme is “Dreams Come True,” and the five queen contestants will lead the procession with their own floats. When the pageant first began, the five were asked what Disney princess best represented them? Then they had to create everything for the contest in accordance to their fairy-tale character. Chosen were Ariel from “The Little Mermaid” (Strain), “Snow White” (Boustead), “Cinderella” (Dutton), “Sleeping Beauty” (Vangel), and Belle from “Beauty and the Beast” (Payne). As usual, the parade will start at the Sorting Gap Marina, head west along the riverfront to La Verendrye Hospital, and then north on Victoria Avenue to Church Street, where it will turn west to end at the Legion. From there, the queen contestants will proceed directly to Pither’s Point Park to complete the final two activities. At 2:30 p.m., the girls will answer a final question from the judges in front of the crowd under the big tent. Then immediately following the questions, the five will hold their picnic basket auction. They will be auctioning off baskets they purchased and arranged with a maximum $40 spending limit. The crowning then will happen around 4 p.m. under the tent. Some of the other events slated at the Point on July 1 include bathtub races, bingo, food booths, and kids’ activities, such as a sandcastle-building contest. The annual fireworks display will be set off from “Seven Oaks” sometime after 10 p.m. Spectators are encouraged to watch from along the waterfront. In related news, Riverside Foundation’s “Canada Day Car, Cash & Cabin Lottery” will be drawn at the Harbourage Restaurant during the fireworks display.