On Thursday, Airdrie Parades unveiled that Airdrie athlete, Emily Vigneault will be this year's Canada Day Parade Marshal.

Vigneault who participated in the Canada Winter Games several months ago came home with a gold medal in the 60-kilogram female boxing division in Prince Edward Island. 

"Emily made Airdrie proud this year when she brought home Gold in women's boxing at the Canada Summer Games, making her the first-ever winner in the event. Trained right here at home, we're so excited to have Emily lead our parade in 2023. You'll find Emily leading the way as the parade cruises down Main Street on July 1st!" stated a social media post from Airdrie Parades.

However, the announcement is one of many exciting tidbits of news that Sam Morros, the Chair of the Airdrie Parades Committee, has in store for Airdronians. 

"We're well into our registration cycle; we have about two weeks left of registration for floats and we're already shaping up to have a bigger Canada Day Parade than last year," she said.

Morros estimates that thus far there are 80 parade floats registered, compared to last year's 60-some floats. Though she couldn't divulge many details, she said that there will be many new faces at the annual Canada Day Parade, and some much-loved traditions returning, including the Al Azhar Shrine Air Corps coming back to town.

When asked if Morros is worried about wildfire smoke putting a damper on the celebrations on July 1, she said that weather contingency plans are always made.

"I have been involved in the parade for almost 30 years now and it's never rained on Canada Day as long as I've been involved and we're of course hoping the tradition of beautiful sunny weather holds this year," Morros said. "Any decisions around inclement weather or air quality concerns, those are things that decisions that would probably be made the morning of the parade because, of course, we want to make sure that everybody is safe and comfortable."

 Canada Day celebrations in Airdrie start in the morning with a pancake breakfast being hosted at City Hall from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. 

"Grab some flapjacks and maple syrup just before finding a spot to watch the Canada Day Parade. Located at City Hall Parking Lot," the city stated. 

The annual Canada Parade will start at 10 a.m. and will run till noon, hosted by Airdrie Parades. For those who need a sweet fix, a Canada Day birthday cake will also be served at City Hall Parking Lot after the parade. 

Following the Canada Day Parade, Nose Creek Regional Park will be hosting various activities from noon to 3 p.m., including: 

  • Canadian Music Concert - Local Musicians
  • Food trucks
  • BBQ & Beer Gardens
  • Children Activities

The City of Airdrie is also still slated to showcase fireworks at the Chinook Winds Regional Park on the evening of July 1. Along with the fireworks, there will also be a DJ and the evening portion of Canada Day celebrations will begin at 8 p.m. and finish at 11 p.m. 

Morros also reminded residents that on Friday, another exciting announcement is slated to take place - and this announcement will be about an archetypical Canadian animal who also happens to be the mascot for this year's Canada Day Parade. 

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