LAC LA BICHE - There will be plenty to see and do at the Lac La Biche Mission historical site and in the skies above Lac La Biche’s McArthur Park this Canada Day.
There will be July 1 activities taking place during the day at the Lac La Biche Mission, finishing with a bang with the traditional spectacular fireworks show later in the evening in McArthur Park.
Jihad Moghrabi, a spokesperson for Lac La Biche County, confirmed that for this year, the Canada Day fireworks show that is put on annually by the County will be getting underway at 11 p.m. in McArthur Park – despite the ongoing construction.
As for events happening at the Mission, according to Danielle Gauthier, operations supervisor for the historical site, those of all ages will be able to enjoy entertainment that runs from noon until 5 p.m.
The day of fun to celebrate Canada’s birthday kicks off with a mass inside the historic church on the Lac La Biche Mission grounds at 11 a.m. This religious service will be followed by the opening ceremonies, various live music groups and dance performances, Pow Wow dancing, as well as craft vendors, a magic show and children’s activities such as bouncy houses, face painting, animal balloons, crafts, along with various games and prizes.
While Canada Day celebrations at the Lac La Biche Mission usually include an early morning pancake breakfast, Gauthier said this year, due to not having the capacity and volunteers, that will not be happening.
“Since July 1st has traditionally been one of the Mission’s biggest events, we still wanted to put something on for our community, so we decided to do a half day starting at noon, after the Mass,” Gauthier told Lakeland This Week. “Besides that, everything else will be very similar, with even more activities and fun for the kids this year.”
The Mission events will also include a concession lunch available for purchase, along with a steak dinner from 5-6 p.m. with all the fixings for $20 a plate.
Besides the lunch and steak dinner, Gauthier continued, the entire event is free. However, she added, cash donations at the gate are always greatly appreciated, as they help the Lac La Biche Mission to be able to continue to put on these types of the events for the community.
While last year’s Canada Day celebration at the Mission drew decent crowds, inclement weather that at one point in the day included high winds and a storm blowing through the area put a damper on some of the events that had been planned. Due to the weather, Gauthier, said, not all of the entertainment scheduled to perform that day could do so.
“However, weather aside we still had a good turnout, and the sun decided to come out and shine for us in the end just in time for our steak dinner- it was a memorable way to end the day,” she stated.
Red and White ... and greens
For those looking for a chance to be patriotic while putting, the Lac La Biche Golf Club is hosting its annual Hole-in-One fundraiser. The event turns each of the 18 holes at the course into a par 3 target and raises money for the club by offering cash and prizes on each hole. Over the recent history of the golfing event, there have been four hole-in-ones awarded.
