Niagara At Large

From Alliana Kane, Acting Events Manager, Port Colborne Economic and Tourism Development Corp.

Festivals and Events Ontario has once again recognized Port Colborne’s Canal Days Marine Heritage Festival as one of Ontario’s finest by naming the event to the list of Ontario’s Top 100 festivals.

Port Colborne's Canal Days 2009 looking down the Welland Canal along a crowded West Street. File photo by Doug Draper.

The Top 100 is a designation created by Festivals & Events Ontario, and sponsored by VIA Rail Canada, which represents excellence for the province’s festivals and events industry. Winners were selected through a nomination process that included a predetermined set of criteria; Canal Days edged out over 3000 other festivals in Ontario, to obtain Top 100 status.

Festivals & Events Ontario is a professional association for the festivals and events industry in Ontario providing a network for festival and special event organizers to share information and resources. The association is involved with collaborative advocacy, policy development, marketing and the provision of educational opportunities for members.

“I am extremely proud that Festivals &  Events Ontario has recognized Port Colborne’s signature event, Canal Days,” Port Colborne Mayor Vance Badawey said.

“It reinforces the commitment and dedication of hundreds of volunteers and city staff who year after year contribute to putting Port Colborne on the map as a destination of choice for hundreds of thousands of visitors to both our community and the Niagara Region,” the mayor added.

Parades of people, including a few Macaws, pour up and down Port Colborne's West Street during annual Canal Days Festival. File photo by Doug Draper

This coming July 30th to August 2, 2010 marks the 32th Annual Canal Days Marine Heritage festival, and work is already underway to celebrate the anniversary.

The festival continues to grow from its modest beginnings in the 1970s at the Port Colborne Historical and Marine Museum. Over the decades, the event has expanded to include the entire downtown area of Port Colborne, HH Knoll Park, Lock 8 Park, West Side Arena, Roselawn, and the Seaway Park children’s area.

With an estimated 350,000 visitors last year, new strategies are being implemented to accommodate the growing number of people from across Ontario who, make the trip to Port Colborne each August civic holiday weekend.

Over the next month, the website at  www.portcolborne.ca  will be updated to reflect the activities and concerts for 2010.

(Click on www.niagaraatlarge.com for Niagara At Large and more news and commentary on matters of interest and concern to residents across our binational Niagara region.)