Free family event welcomes community
Jun 24, 2009 - 04:06 PM
By Parvaneh Pessian
WHITBY -- It's time for residents to dive into another fun-filled day as the County Town Carnival gets underway this weekend.
With this year's event falling on June 27, the weekend before Canada Day, organizers have placed the focus on celebrating the nation with the theme running throughout various activities.
"It's still a largely children- and family-oriented event but there's special emphasis this year on the Canada part of it," said Steve Edwards, Whitby's manager of parks, marina, and long-range planning.
The festivities will kick off fittingly with a citizenship ceremony, sponsored by the Canadian Club of Durham Region, where 30 people will be sworn in as new Canadians.
The usual activities will return including carnival games, jumping castles, a petting zoo, centre-stage entertainment, a visit from Beatrice the Mouse and a barbecue hosted by the Royal Canadian Legion.
The Whitby County Town Carnival is an annual event offered in partnership with the Town and the Committee of Council along with numerous organizations and community volunteers.
"No matter how we change any annual team, in general it's really intended to be a free family event for the community -- that's the key behind it," Mr. Edwards said, adding thousands of people are expecting to attend, judging by previous years' turnouts.
"Given the economy we're in, people probably appreciate an activity they can bring their kids to and have it be free."
Heading into its 15th year, the carnival was once considered more of an adult event when it was held in the downtown area but has transformed into more of a family activity since moving to Cullen Central Park four years ago.
This year's activities will include a special jazz festival that will be a first for the carnival, starting at 4:30 p.m.
The town's Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee will also be opening up the historic Lynde House, Whitby's oldest building, constructed during the War of 1812, for tours from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
"The good thing about buying Cullen is that the building was preserved but we haven't really been able to utilize it a lot so it's great that they're opening it for the day so the public can have access to it," Mr. Edwards said.
The County Town Carnival will run from 10 a.m. to dusk at Cullen Central Park, located at 300 Taunton Rd. W. in Whitby.
Call: (905)430-4310
E-mail: parks.
rec@whitby.caVisit:
www.whitby.ca
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