By Matt Kelly

Fort Battleford playing host to Canada Day celebrations

Jun 28, 2016 | 5:00 PM

This year’s Canada Day will centre on Fort Battleford with celebrations and fireworks taking place at the historic landmark.

Fort Battleford is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, July 1 and the opening ceremonies are set for noon. Events will include singing O Canada, greetings from dignitaries and the cutting of the country’s birthday cake. Finally the fireworks end the celebrations at 10:45 p.m. with viewing sites back at the fort.

During the course of the day, there will be a variety of activities including historic games, a trade show and wagon rides, but Rae Horsman, the chair of the Battle River Settlement Foundation feels one event should be a big draw for crowds

“For sure the rifle line. There will be a historic rifle demonstration which will be a lot of fun,” Horsman said. “I know the staff work hard on that rifle demonstration so that’s always a neat show.”

Horsman said Fort Battleford offers a unique backdrop to celebrating Canada’s 149th birthday.

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“The fort itself has historical representation in the history of Canada and if anybody is interested in learning about history there will be tours and guides out in the historic buildings. So it’s kind of a neat place, a historical place, to have Canada Day,” Horsman said.

Horsman added Canada Day is a great time for everybody to get together to recognize and celebrate the country they live in.

“I think we’re very fortunate to live in this country and it’s definitely a day worth celebrating. So come out rain or shine and it’ll be a lot of fun and gives us a chance to just be proud of where we come from,” Horsman said.

There is no cost to attend Canada Day at Fort Battleford, but donations for the Food Bank will be accepted. There will be costs for the canteen, the beer gardens and face painting.

Matt Kelly is battlefordsNOW’s town municipal affairs and community reporter. He can be reached at mkelly@jpbg.ca. Concerns regarding this story can be addressed to News Director Geoff Smith at 306-446-6397.