THUNDER BAY — Marina Park was bustling on Tuesday, with thousands of residents coming together to celebrate Canada.
With musical performances, food trucks and families just enjoying the weather, this year’s edition of Canada Day on the Waterfront was one to be remembered.
Deebu Chempilettu was out with friends at the marina to celebrate the day.
“It is absolutely fantastic. I can't complain (about) anything. The music is good, the people are good, the weather is good,” he said.
Chempilettu said he loves everything about living in Canada, especially the outdoors aspect.
“Thunder Bay's got lots of places for mountain biking, and we have lots for kayaking, mountain biking, hiking.
“We just went on almost five hikes in a week – every day we went, so it is pretty cool, lots of nature and the people are really welcoming too. This is home.”
Rafael Cadena was a vendor with Dulcita Mexican Delights-Tbay on Canada Day.
“The crowd, it's amazing. Everyone is very happy and willing to try these new flavours, which are very different, and I'm excited to be here and this time to be a vendor because I've always been a spectator. This time I'm on the other side, so it's very interesting and I'm very happy.”
Cadena said Canada opened its doors for him and welcomed him to the country.
“It’s like a blessing for me and I'm very thankful for all the help from different people, so this time that I'm offering something to the city, it's just very neat.
“I love the people. I love Canadian people. That's one of the reasons why I moved here to Thunder Bay. Part of my heart is in Mexico, but the other part is here for sure. I love it,” he said.
Alexa Hathazi and Cassidy Jacobson have both been attending Canada Day on the Waterfront on and off for nearly a decade.
“I actually love seeing how diverse it is. It's really great, it just shows how the city is growing and I love to see it,” Hathazi said.
Jacobson said she also loved seeing the diversity, and the food trucks and music make the day special year after year.
“It's a good vibe,” she said.
Karen Kadolph, special events developer with the City of Thunder Bay, said the day was packed with activities and excitement.
The festivities stated early, she said.
“We did start the morning off at the sunrise ceremony and we have a sacred fire that's been burning since this morning.”
The day continued with having a citizenship ceremony where 50 people became Canadian citizens, she said.
“We've had programming, we had our community stage, we've got our big stage going on the main stage, so lots of different activities and things for people to do.”
Kadolph said thousands of people celebrated together at Marina Park.
“Canada Day on the Waterfront is definitely a team. A lot of people put a lot of work into this, and we've really gone big this year.
“To see people come out, brave the rain that we had for a little bit too, it's really amazing and we're really happy to see the community come together for something like this.”
It was great to see a big diverse group of people get out and have a good time on this day, Kadolph said.
“This is a free event. This event is presented by Ontario Power Generation, so we're really happy to have them, and it's just been really nice to see everybody come together and celebrate together.”
