Duane Hicks
The Great Canadian Main Street will be the place to be this Thursday as The Shops on Scott (BIA) are putting on its annual “Mall Day.”
From 9 a.m.-5 p.m., the 100, 200 and 300 blocks of Scott Street will be closed to vehicle traffic to allow for all sorts of shopping and family activities to kick off “Fun in the Sun.”
The Shops on Scott spokesperson Richard Boileau said that in addition to sidewalk sales, many vendors and artisans will be out for “Market Thursday.”
“We’re expecting the biggest turnout of market people of the season,” he noted, adding about 20 vendors came out for “Mall Day” last year.
There also will be food booths while some of the downtown restaurants will be setting up tables outside.
Several groups will have a booth and be selling raffle tickets, such as the Riverside Foundation for Health Care with its “Canada Day Cash Lottery” tickets.
Others will be holding registrations, such as the Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce, which will be signing singers up for this year’s “Quest for the Best.”
The Shops on Scott will have a display showing the designs for the future Rainy Lake Market Square while New Gold will have a booth set up, as well.
There also will be kids’ activities on the 300 block, courtesy of NCDS and the Northwestern Health Unit.
This will include face-painting, a lacrosse demo, and games.
Sunset Country Ford will bring four Ford Mustang convertibles and a jacked-up truck downtown to show off.
The Fort Frances Museum, meanwhile, is holding a reception for its latest exhibit, “Rainy River Roots: Settlement of the District,” from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Thursday.
The free event also will feature kids’ activities and refreshments.
In conjunction with its open house, the museum also will start serving its weekly tea and scones upstairs that day.
The cost is $4/person.
“I think we’re going to be pretty busy,” said Boileau.
