Canada Day in the Capital

Well, Pat has taken down the flag on our house and I've put my red and white T-shirt away until next year. Canada Day is long over. If you have never experienced Canada Day in Ottawa, you really might want to put it on your bucket list.

Most years we head downtown by bike, along the beautiful Ottawa River Parkway. (I refuse to call it by its new Harper name; the Sir John A. MacDonald Parkway.) There are always lots of folks biking along beside the river, towards Parliament Hill. This year the skies looked threatening so we took the free bus option instead. By 9:30 am buses were already packed with people of all ages.

People watching is one of the main events. Pretty well everyone wears red and white. Some people wear great outfits.

Over the years we have established a bit of a routine. About five years ago we started attending the free Unisong concert in the National Arts Centre. This year there were five Ottawa choirs who were joined by six choirs from across the country. Unisong was created in 1997 to foster understanding and patriotism.             

This year's show was great. The program consisted of pieces representing various regions of the country. Especially moving was a piece by James Wright, entitled To Young Canadians. It was the first time that we have heard this piece, that sets to music the final speech/letter of Jack Layton.

After Unisong we usually head to the Hill and listen to some of the noon hour concert and O Canada. It's alway a thrill to be anywhere downtown when the Snowbirds fly over the Peace Tower. Then we head over to Major's Hill Park for the Canadian Chicken Farmers bbq chicken sandwich.
When our kids were young we would walk across the bridge to Jacques Cartier Park in Gatineau, Quebec. This year it was too windy for the Sky Hawk parachute team which usually  lands there.

The Skyhawks..always fun to watch!

Later on in the afternoon when our feet are fading, we often attend an afternoon concert in Confederation Park. However this year we went back into the NAC. One of the best things about Canada Day is that we always bump into someone we know. This year was no exception. While watching a concert by a group called The Peptides, my gaze went from the singers at the front of the stage to the young drummer at the back. Was he one of my former students? After they finished I went over to speak to him and yes, he was Alex, a student from my Holy Trinity days. It was fun to meet up with him again.

We were walking out of the building after that encounter when  a young woman came up to Pat, enquiring, "Mr Shaughnessy?" Again, a former student, Brittany. She had recognized her kindergarten teacher and just wanted to say hi. It was a pleasure to meet the grown up version of these former students.

Canada Day Tips:
Do not attempt to walk your bike around downtown. Lock it up and walk to the various parks. The stupidest thing we saw this year was a family on bikes. The mom was walking her bike through a throng of people. She had a toddler on a bikeseat and was having a hard time keeping up with her husband. He was attempting to push his way up the hill on Rideau Street with a tandem bike. He did not have just one kid bike attached to his own. No, he had two kids, on their own bikes, attached to his!

Don't go downtown if you hate walking in crowds.

If you think you might make a special effort to attend Canada Day just one year, do not come in a year when royalty is in town, unless you're really into the Royal Family.

Because of the extra security, barricades are put up all along Mackenzie Avenue, which runs beside Major's Hills Park. The barricades continue around the corner, onto Rideau Street to Parliament Hill and you can get totally trapped on one side of the street. The year that Kate and Will were here, we ended up standing in the sun for half an hour, virtually unable to move, in a crush of people, while we waited for the RCMP to let us cross the street into the park. And that was after the carriages had already passed by!

Even without royalty, the Governor General and the Prime Minister always drive along Mackenzie in horse drawn carriages, so after they pass, watch where you walk.

Drop in to The Chateau Laurier Hotel. The air conditioning provides welcome relief on a hot day, the chairs in the lobby are comfy and the washrooms are definitely a step up from the porta-potties outside. The National Gallery and The Museum of History (Also recently renamed by Harper…..for twenty years it was the Museum of Civilization) are also great indoor spaces to escape either heat or rain. All the museums are free on Canada Day.

Enjoy the music.

There are all kinds of free concerts in the parks as well as musicians and entertainers on many corners. Many years ago, on Canada Day, we saw Al Simmons for the first time. He is my absolute favourite family entertainer. For pure, goofy fun he cannot be beat.

On the Sparks Street Mall

This year we came across these fencers! 

During the day, downtown is full of families. The evening is a different matter.We used to go back downtown to see the show on Parliament Hill and watch the fireworks but lately we find that in the evening, the young drinkers are out. Now, if we choose to watch the fireworks we go to a spot far away from the Hill. There are plenty of locations along the river  where you can see them. It's a great way to end the day.

So thanks to my fellow Canadian taxpayers. Every year Canada Day gives us many reasons to be glad we're here.