Canada Day Weekend

July1, time to break out the noisemakers, pop some bubbly, light the sparklers and celebrate this great nation of ours. The radio is saying cottagers are starting early and clogging the highways and byways trying to get out of town for that dockside seat somewhere out of the city. For the rest of us what’s to do? Hey! There’s plenty happening right in town.

Canada Day Fireworks

Who doesn’t like a good show? The following places are going to be lighting up the skies over Toronto on July 1st. Note that start times are approximate and make sure you bring a blanket or folding chair for a comfortable ringside seat to the skyward performance.

Centennial Park – 10 p.m.

Canada’s Wonderland – 10 p.m.

Ontario Place – 10:30 p.m.

Mel Lastman Square – 10 p.m.

Stan Wadlow Park – 10 p.m.

Port Credit Memorial Park – 10 p.m.

Amesbury Park – 10 p.m.

Powerade Centre – 10 p.m.

The Tragically Hip – Downsview Park – July 1 at 4pm

Celebrate Canada Day in Downsview Park with The Tragically Hip. Weezer, Broken Social Scene, Hey Rosetta! and Buck 65 join them on stage. The Tragically Hip have been a staple in Canadian music since the 80s, and have won 14 Juno Awards.

Visit the band’s official web site for further information.

Ribfest 2011

The Toronto Ribfest attracts more than 100,000 visitors each year. Presented by the Rotary Club of Etobicoke, the fest has live music, all-you-can-eat ribs, beer tents, arts and crafts shows as well as carnival rides and more for the kids. On Canada Day, there will be a fireworks display at approximately 10 p.m.

All proceeds from this fund-raising event are returned back to the community through charitable organizations.

Check out the official web site for further information. Click here for the schedule of events.

Bollywood Cinema Showcards: Indian Film Art from the 1950s to 1980s

Starting June 30 until October 2, the Royal Ontario Museum is going to be featuring this display. Check out the ROM web site for further details.

This bright and vivid collection of Bollywood Cinema Showcards coincides with the International Indian Film Academy Awards in Toronto and 2011 as the ‘Year of India in Canada.’ The exhibition features vintage Bollywood Cinema showcards, and the Tatla Collection of Bollywood advertising, as well as works drawn from the ROM’s collection.

The Toronto Jazz Festival: June 24 – July 3

Check out the official web site for a complete listing of concerts.

Gay Pride Week: June 24 – July 3

There is plenty going on during the week so check out Pride Toronto.

The Gay Pride Parade

The parade is Sunday, July 3 at 2pm.

Toronto Blue Jays baseball

It’s happening at the Rogers Centre! Click here for the June calendar and here for July.

June 30 at 7pm: Pirates

July 1 at 1pm: Phillies

July 2 at 1pm: Phillies

July 3 at 1pm: Phillies

Lotteries

Now here’s a rarity: the 6/49 pot is bigger than the Max. Both the Max and the 6/49 were carried over so the usual prize is just a little bit bigger but it seems the 6/49 at this moment is standing up there.

Lotto Max: Fri Jul 1: $15 million (No MaxMillions)

Lotto Max: One chance in 28,633,528

6/49: Sat, Jul 2, 2011: $20 million

Lotto 6/49: One chance in 13,983,816

All the latest winning numbers

You can visit the Lotto web site and check out all the latest winning numbers including Poker, 49, Lottario, Keno, Pick 4, Pick 3 and Payday. Of course, all the Encore numbers can be found there as well.

References

Wikipedia: Canada Day

Canada Day (French: Fête du Canada), formerly Dominion Day (French: Le Jour de la Confédération), is the national day of Canada, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act (today called the Constitution Act, 1867), which united three British colonies into a single country, called “Canada”, within the British Empire. Originally called Dominion Day, the name was changed in 1982, the year that Canada gained full independence from the United Kingdom. Canada Day observances take place throughout Canada as well as internationally.

Internation Celebrations 

Canadian expatriates will organize Canada Day activities in their local area on or near the date of the holiday. For instance, since 2006, annual Canada Day celebrations have been held at Trafalgar Square—the location of Canada House—in London, England; organized by the Canadian community in the United Kingdom and the Canadian High Commission, the event features Canadian performers and a demonstration of street hockey, amongst other activities. Annual celebrations also take place in Hong Kong, entitled Canada D’eh and held on June 30 at Lan Kwai Fong, where an estimated attendance of 12,000 was reported in 2008; in Afghanistan, where members of the Canadian Forces mark the holiday at their base; and in Mexico, at the American Legion in Chapala and the Canadian Club in Ajijic.

Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario, have, since the 1950s, celebrated both Dominion or Canada Day and the United States’ Independence Day with the International Freedom Festival. A massive fireworks display over the Detroit River, the strait separating the two cities, is held annually with hundreds of thousands of spectators attending. A similar event occurs at the Friendship Festival, a joint celebration between Fort Erie, Ontario, and neighbouring Buffalo, New York, of Canada Day and Independence Day.

Toronto.Com

There is all sorts of information about what’s happening in and around Toronto this holiday weekend. Don’t know what to do? Have a look here. There’s a lot going on.

Click HERE to read more from William Belle

Article viewed at: Oye! Times at www.oyetimes.com