New “Celebrate Caledon” event to take place July 1

May 26, 2022 · 0 Comments

Event will amalgamate Caledon Day, Caledon Canada Day events

By Zachary Roman

Caledon residents are invited to celebrate their town and country this summer.

The Town of Caledon has announced plans for a brand-new event to be held in partnership with the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA).

Called Celebrate Caledon, it will be held on July 1 from 2 to 10 p.m. at Albion Hills Conservation Area.

The event will combine the previously separately-held Caledon Day and Caledon Canada Day events. Both such events were cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are so pleased to be able to offer an event where the whole community can come together to celebrate Caledon pride,” said Mayor Allan Thompson in a media release. “By partnering with TRCA, this year’s event offers live entertainment, fireworks, local vendors including Caledon Hills Brewery and family fun with activities for the kids, all in the beautiful Albion Hills Conservation Area.”

The event will feature live music on a main stage. The headlining music act is a Juno Award-nominated band called Wide Mouth Mason, and local acts Itchy and Scratchy Showband and Vilivant will open for them.

Kevin Hayashi, coordinator of corporate partnerships and events for the Town of Caledon, said planning for the July 1 event began back in the Fall of 2021 when talks about the headlining band began.

Hayashi said Wide Mouth Mason is a really good band to see live and he’s excited for their performance, as well as for the local openers too.

Since there’s ongoing construction in Caledon East where the Caledon Day event would normally be held, Town staff had been exploring other locations as to where this years’ event could be held. It happened to work out with the TRCA that Albion Hills Conservation Area could be used.

Caledon Community Services’ Velocity, an annual charity bike ride in support of Caledon Seniors, is still being held on July 1 and will begin in Caledon East as usual. Hayashi said despite the Celebrate Caledon event not being in the same location as the ride this year, the Town is very supportive of the ride and will be backing and promoting it.

The pandemic has been hard on everyone, and Hayashi said he and the Town wanted to be cautious asking corporate partners for support.

“Everything that we’ve gone through over the last two years, no one could have ever imagined,” he said. “We’re getting good corporate partners stepping up and saying that they still do want to be involved in the community. They want to make sure that they’re helping to put on exciting events like this.”

The Town is still seeking performers, vendors and sponsors for Celebrate Caledon. The deadline for performers to submit their expression of interest is May 30, but the Town will still accept vendors and sponsors after that date.

For more information, interested parties can visit caledon.ca/celebrate.