Canada Day ~ 2019 ~ Kamloops, BC

Canada Day is always a special day for us Canadians and has become a bigger celebration in Kamloops at Riverside Park over the years.  It attracts thousands of us that come to see the artists of the area and the food vendors as well as plenty of entertainment.

Group Drum Roll

We arrived just as the drumming began.  It was a Guinness World Record attempt with multicultural drummers performing.  They attempted at “Most Nationalities in a Simultaneous Drum Circle” last year but didn’t make it so the hope was to be successful to break the record for “Largest Group Drum Roll” this year.  I’ve heard no news on that yet.  They passed out small drums for the spectators to join in, grandson using one in corner of photo. 

Crowds and more crowds

This well shaded park was packed with vendors and those who came to enjoy the day.  Riverside Park has been the centre of summer activities for so many years but not many the size of this one.  It does lead to parking difficulties but if one is willing to walk, spots can be found.  The City of Kamloops offers free bus service for the day so that sure simplifies things for those who wish to use them.  

Kids bouncy castle fun

There is a nice playground for the youngsters in the park but for this special day, they offer plenty of extras like this bouncy castle shown here.  No shortage of lineups of kids waiting to get into it and have their turn at fun.  Patience applies in several areas of the Park today, lineups are long. 

Kamloops Lawn Bowling

Lawn bowling has had this area in Riverside here for many years.  As a matter of fact, these greens were ready for play in 1923!  The Kamloops Lawn Bowling Club was formed the year before and has been active ever since, but with some changes in rules, as women were only allowed to use the green when men were not back then.  There are tournaments for those who enjoy the competition of lawn bowling but social bowling is happening with no set teams, just to have fun with those who show up on any day. 

A Special Gift

There were dozens of very talented artists with booths displaying their talents in the Park.  They sell their jewelry, knitted goods, pottery, paintings, woodworks, face painting….. the list could go on.  There was one booth that especially caught my attention and that was “A Special Gift”.  These ladies plus one other work all year round producing these amazing quilts and a never ending list of other items.  

Dressed for the occasion

So many visitors wore red clothes of some sort and accessories of red, whether flags or other things, but these ones definitely caught my attention.

Thompson River beach at Riverside Park

Riverside Park is right on the Thompson River and has always been a popular swimming area, too.  The day was still early but with the forecast to reach 30c (86f), the beach would soon be full of more swimmers, to be sure.  Then they can move onto the food vendors, which offers Multicultural Society foods from many different cultural groups that represent Kamloops residents, as well. 

Kamloops Mounted Patrol

Rick Wanless (c) has been attending these events and so many others with his horses and team mates since 1992 as the Kamloops Mounted Patrol and they still draw plenty of attention wherever they go.  Great to see Mr. Wanless still a part of this great Patrol team.  To learn more of the Patrol, click here.

Riverside Park on Canada Day

FolkFest lineups of local and regional cultural performers promotes diversity in dance, music, style and language on the stage of the Rotary Bandshell and were being enjoyed by this large audience.  Sights of food vendors, all vendors and more around Riverside Park.  Music in the Park kicked off July 1 evening with classic rock band Shattered Blue and wow, were they good!  Lead singer had an AMAZING voice, scheduled to play again July 19^th.  One of the best free concerts you may see but the whole lineup looks great. 

View from the top of overpass walk

The cap off for the whole evening was the fantastic fireworks, but no photos for it, never been good at night shots, lol.  We’d been down to the festivities twice and just weren’t going for a third visit, too late for us old folks.  Sorry we missed it but we heard from several that it was incredible.

 

There are more photos of Riverside Park on my blog showing quieter times.  Click here to see that.

Canada Day ~ 150th Celebration ~ Kamloops, BC

July 1 is the day the Canadians celebrate Canada’s birthday.  This year brings an even bigger reason to celebrate as it has been 150 years since the Constitution Act was enacted.  When formed in 1867, it was called the British North American Act then was renamed in 1982, the year the Canada Act was passed.

The large crowds at Riverside Park

Kamloops has drawn a huge crowd for our annual celebration at Riverside Park to celebrate the 150^th birthday.  There were vendors with art that shows the talents of many local artist, too many to mention but a very impressive gathering of excellent art in many forms. 

Wyatt Purcha, actor & director

Wyatt of the Project (X) Theatre is joining others from that group to mingle with the crowd and let everyone know about their X FEST 2017 productions to be held at Prince Charles Park from
July 10 - 29, 2017.  We enjoyed the Wizard of Oz last year and look forward to seeing The Jungle Book and Rapunzel this year.  For tickets and info click here.

Beach of Riverside Park returns after flood

This scene is a great change from only a few weeks ago when the river water was so high it reached the sidewalk edge.  The level is now much safer and allows for swimming and boating on our Thompson River.

Playtimes at Riverside Park

There is no shortage of entertainment nor young ones to enjoy the waterpark, playground equipment and bouncy castles in the shade of the large old trees in Riverside Park.  The lineup for face painting was a long one.

Multicultural Folkfest

The Kamloops Multicultural Society hosted a Folkfest at the park with cultural displays and international food booths.  A great opportunity to try something new. 

Bandshell speeches

There was a great flag display in front of the bandshell and large tents that offered shade for those who wished to have a chair to sit in for the entertainment and speakers who were there to offer greetings on this special birthday for Canada.

Colorful spectators

There was no shortage of the color red nor of the maple leaf which signifies our flag.  The red and white was amazing to see and added to the celebration feel to the day. The park was so full of people wearing special clothing that there could have been a fashion show of patriotic clothing!

Pledging allegiance to Canada

The RCMP were represented at this ceremony and this gentleman in red serge led us in the English version of pledging allegiance to Canada.  All who were there, stood with their right hand raised and repeated after him.  We remained standing and he was followed by another RCMP who did the same in French.  Thankfully, she did tell us we did not have to repeat after her.  I heard several sighs of relief.

Birthday Cake

Happy Birthday on this special 150^th year of Canada becoming a nation.  A large cake was waiting to be cut and shared among those who were participating in this celebration.

Many acts of entertainment were held at the park including Pokotillo Ukrainian Dancers and the Desert Sounds Harmony Chorus following the introductory speeches.  Lots to enjoy and much to see.   The day ended with a fabulous fireworks display.  

Walk in the Parks~McArthur~Riverside~Kamloops, BC

We are enjoying a few lovely sunny days following some big October rain.  The cool crisp weather makes for a beautiful blue sky with fall leaves starting to make their changes.  

MacArthur Island Slough

Our first stop today is at McArthur Island Park on the north shore where the Slough offers some nice reflections of color.  The Thompson River level is low at this time of year and offers some quiet waters for the ducks and geese to enjoy.

Deer Family

While taking photos of the geese on the river, I happened to look down and what a surprise!  A beautiful doe was munching on the leaves and then hidden behind the bush there was a baby with her.

Well hidden 

We watched quietly for a while then walked away for a bit so not to disturb them anymore.  When we came back, the doe was still out but we saw two babies nestled under the bushes nearby, almost impossible to see.  Click here and here to see more of the park on other visits.

Railway bridge over South Thompson

We then moved on to visit Riverside Park in downtown Kamloops.  It is still early for all leaves to be turning but with the ones that are, offer a pretty contrast against the blue sky.

Bicycle Repair Station

Not being bike riders, it may have been here awhile but we hadn’t noticed this bike repair station before.  It is about the size of a golf bag but has air and fix-it helpers for bike repairs.  What a great idea for those bikes that may need help while on the Rivers Trail.

Welcome to Riverside Park

We have had some great rain this year which gives us lots of green to enjoy at our parks.   Riverside Park was developed in 1902 and has evolved into a beautiful park in Kamloops.  Click here to see more of the park on another visit.

A quiet walk in the Park

There have been some recent additions made at Riverside Park which includes new pickle ball courts by the tennis courts, which are also still there.  Pickle ball has become a very popular sport in Kamloops.

Oblix at Riverside

Standing strong by one of the entrances to the park is this great ¾ life size bronze bull, Oblix.  He was first put in the park in 2007 representing the ranching heritage of the area.  Donated to Kamloops by the artist Joe Fafard who sculpted him, he was recently moved to this new location in the Park.

North Thompson River

There is a plaque in this tiny park on Schubert Drive along the North Thompson River that commemorates the Schubert Family who were a part of the Overlanders who came to the area in 1862.  Shortly after their arrival, baby Rose was born on Oct. 14, one hundred and fifty four years ago this week.

There are several parks in the city, many of them with beautiful fall colors at this time of year.  Hopefully we can all enjoy more sunny days to watch the changes of the season.

Riverside Park in April ~ Kamloops, BC

We see the beauty of Riverside Park in Spring

Riverside Park in downtown Kamloops has been a great attraction for summertime and water activities for many years.  Our summers usually begin early and end well into September but our time spent down in the park in mid-April appeared to be rather quiet but a hot summer day.

Boats on Thompson River at Riverside Park

There is no doubt that we’ve had some great weather in past Aprils but this one seems to be breaking records for hot days and many are getting out there to enjoy those days at the local parks.

Spring growth in Riverside Park

Riverside Park was officially named in 1933 but used for many years previous to that.  The workers who were building the Canadian Pacific Railway back as far as 1885 used the park as a campsite.

Riverside Park history

This is a photo taken of Riverside Park in 1939 which shows a beautiful park down by the Thompson River and some of its’ history.  The park went through many very interesting changes over the early years and we are very fortunate to still have this beautiful gem as part of our downtown area.

Variety Kids Waterpark

The Variety Kids Waterpark has not opened yet this season, but there were some wishing that it was.  This waterpark replaced a wading pool and the Centennial Pool of long ago where many of us enjoyed spending our summer days when we were kids.  It was warmer than the river and easier for swim lessons.  I believe it was built as a celebration of the 1958 Centennial.

Lush and green Riverside Park

The park makes a great meeting place for family gatherings and picnics where the kids can play on playground equipment to waterparks and others can sit in the shade of these big old trees and enjoy their time spent at the park.  So many things happen here, like Music in the Park in July and August and Ribfest in August to just name a couple of them.

Tranquility of Riverside Park

Several events are held here every year and to see some of these celebrations of the past for the Bicentennial Day, Canada Day, special events like the MS Walk (to be held May 1, 2016)  and Remembrance Day, plus many more Summerevents, click on them to take you to that page. 

The Rivers Trail begins here

The Rivers Trail is a legacy of the 2000 Millenium.  It has a continuous trail between Westsyde and the Yellowhead Bridge which brings these neighbourhoods together and celebrates the importance of the Thompson Rivers to Kamloops.

Uji Friendship Garden

In 1990, Uji, Japan became a sister city to Kamloops and Mayor Philip Gaglardi and the mayor of Uji signed friendship agreements to enhance relationships and understandings between the citizens of both cities.  There have been many cultural exchanges done between the two cities with music, art and sports groups over the years. 

Entrance to Uji Friendship Garden

Mayor Mel Rothenburger reaffirmed this agreement with the Mayor of Uji on the tenth anniversary in 2000 and a tree was planted with Mayor Peter Milobar to commemorate the twentieth anniversary.  The Uji Friendship Garden is a favourite spot where local high school grad classes come to take their photos.

There are several areas of the Riverside Park to visit and be enjoyed including the Rose Garden, tennis courts, a concession and the pier has a great view of the Thompson Rivers with Mt. Peter and Mt. Paul as a backdrop.  

Remembrance Day 2014, Kamloops, BC

November 11^th is called Remembrance Day in Canada and has been recognized since WW1.  It was first observed in 1919 throughout the British Commonwealth.  Originally called Armistice Day, as it was to commemorate the armistice agreement that ended WW1, it was celebrated on the eleventh hour, on the eleventh day of the eleventh month.   It is observed around the world on this day but most countries still call it Armistice Day.   The Americans celebrate Veteran’s Day on November 11^th.

Kamloops Cenotaph

We stopped by the Kamloops Cenotaph and poppies decorated the monument and some wreaths were left.  Cenotaph is a Greek word for “empty tomb” and laying of wreaths is a traditional means of signalling high honours in Greece, so the Remembrance Day follows with that tradition.

Large crowd gathers at Riverside Park

As in most cities across the country, people gathered, at Riverside Park in Kamloops, BC, to honour the veterans who fought in the wars of yesterday as well as those who still do today.   2014 proved to be a special occasion by the numbers of people who came to watch the ceremony today.

RCMP lead the way, Veterans follow the flags

The parade made its’ way into the center of the crowd by way of a temporary corridor set up and everyone in the crowd applauded as they passed by.  The RCMP in their red serge march by to much applause and they are followed by more uniforms, the Rube Band, the Pipe Band, and last but not least were several veterans to end the march.

Remembrance Day in Riverside Park

Uniforms joining those who had passed by our spot could be seen in the crowded field to honour fallen soldiers including the Rocky Mountain Rangers and Cadets.  Our national anthem was sung then the Last Post was played on the bugle, a familiar yet rather sombre sound.  This was followed with a two minute silence.

Fly over at 11:04am

 The Fly Past was done by two from the 419 Squadron out of Cold Lake, Alberta then followed by “Reveille”, also played on the bugle.  Prayers and blessings were given then followed by placement of wreaths by various representatives of the government plus many others.  Everyone is welcome to add their own wreath at this time.

Remembrance Day in Kamloops, BC

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

Sombre moments during Remembrance Day

We are the dead.  Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved, and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Kamloops Pipe Band

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch, be yours to hold it high.

IF ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

In Flanders Fields is a poem written by Canadian Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae with a powerful message.

There is more Remembrance Day from past years, click here to see one and here if you'd like to learn more about the 419 Squadron.

LEST WE FORGET

Canada Day Celebrations ~ Riverside Park ~ Kamloops,BC

Canada Day celebrations in Riverside Park made it a great day for thousands of people.  The city offered free bus service for the day so there was no parking or traffic problems to deal with. There was also a free shuttle offered from the Lansdowne Market transit exchange to Riverside Park.

Canada Day Celebrations in Kamloops, BC brings out the crowds

The Folkfest and Art in the Park had people coming in droves to see the sights, the entertainment and the art as well as to try the food from the multicultural booths that were set up throughout the park.

Dignitaries pose after the Opening Ceremonies

The dignitaries including local polticians participated in the opening ceremonies. We didn’t arrive in time to hear them speak but I was able to get this photo of those that were there, although I didn’t get names of the unfamiliar faces.  The ones I do know are Terry Lake, MLA for Kamloops/North Thompson, Kevin Krueger, MLA for Kamloops/South Thompson, Cathy McLeod, MP for Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo and Tina Lange, Kamloops councilor form part of the front row.  Cheryl Blackwell, the MC for the ceremony and Chief Shane Gottfriedson of  KIB are in the back row.



 

 Cake cutting ceremony for Canada Day in Kamloops, BC

Councillor Tina Lange helps to cut the cake as the Miss Kamloops royalty looks on.  The cake cutting is always a favorite with line-ups starting early for the free piece of cake they would be given.  The cake looked great but I wasn’t joining into that line.

Artists and Musicians at Riverside Park, Kamloops, BC

There were some very talented artists there with their artwork on display and for sale.  The booths were set up all over the park and ISC entrance, overall displaying an exciting variety.  What a great place to show the talented artists Kamloops has.



Carly Schmidt - Hand painted pictures

One very talented artist is Carly Schmidt and she was busy working on one of her painting.  She had several examples of her talent hanging for us to see.  Click here to see more of her work on her webpage.

Sheila Munro - Dropping Form Designs

Another talented lady is Sheila who works magic with feathers and hats!  This hat was beautiful, as were her others on display, check out her webpage for more info.



Children's Activities at Canada Day in Kamloops, BC

These appeared to be a popular part of the activities, I suspect the line-ups were a constant for the children’s activities that were on hand.  The big inflatables included a spaceship and a pirate ship.

Pirates and a Princess for Canada Day in Riverside Park

There was the Pirate magician and several actors dressed in costumes and wandering the park entertaining the kids and offering photo opportunities for the tourists who were also there enjoying the Canada Day celebrations.

Flags and Canada Day hats galore

The festivities began with the pancake breakfast at 7am and were ongoing throughout the day ending with fireworks at 10:30pm. Thousands of us enjoyed the day and it was great to see a big turnout spending the day in the sunshine having a fun time with their families and friends.

Thanks to all who worked hard to make this special day a success, including the City of Kamloops workers who installed the gabion wall of sand to make sure the river didn’t interfere with the celebrations in Riverside Park. Well done!

Check here for more information about Canada Day and the National Flag of Canada.