By Amanda Pompilii
Parades and field days are just some of the events we associate with July 1 in Canada. These traditions also have a rich history in the Centennial community. I recently looked through past issues of the Scarborough Mirror to see how our neighbourhood’s commemoration of Canada Day, formally known as Dominion Day, has changed over the decades.
From 1956 to 2015, Highland Creek’s Royal Canadian Legion Branch 258 delighted spectators with parades each July 1, becoming one of Toronto’s longest-running Canada Day attractions. The parade began at Centennial Road Junior Public School and ended at the former Legion building on Lawson Road.
In 1963, Scarborough’s Professional Firefighters Boys Band marked their third birthday with a trophy for smartness and uniform marching. In 1966, the parade received a visit from the winner of Highland Creek’s Miss Dominion Day competition, 19-year-old Shirley Wray. Wray and her princesses, Joyce Percey and Norma Ruddell, were accompanied by the Firefighters Drum Corps and Legion Pipe Band.
In 1969, more than 50 young participants rode decorated bikes and walked costumed pets alongside pipe bands and drum majorettes. Other activities included a game of the Irish stick-and-ball sport, camogie, and performances by Frances Gibbon’s Irish Dancers.
By the mid-1970s, soap box derby fever had swept the community. In 1975, the West Hill Kinsmen Club and Scarborough Committee on Parks and Entertainment held their first soap box derby in years as part of Scarborough’s Canada Week. The derby was highly anticipated in Centennial, with students at Highland Creek Public School spending months constructing go-karts and derby cars.
After much preparation, competitors aged 8 to 12 took the wheel on June 28, zooming down Old Kingston Road to Highland Creek Park in the hopes of winning prizes for the safest car, fastest car, and best car design. Karl Steffler of Mississauga emerged victorious, winning the Class A Championship and the award for best car design. Scott Bremner of Streetsville took home the award for safest car.
With the 1980s came a defining moment in Canadian history. Dominion Day was officially renamed Canada Day in 1982. Amid debates about what it means to be “Canadian,” Centennial’s annual celebration promoted the Canadian spirit of unity. In 1981, the Scarborough Liberal Association hosted a Canada Day picnic at Adams Park with baseball, races, free Canadian flag pins, a wet-sponge throw, and fireworks.
For Canada’s 126th birthday in 1993, onlookers enjoyed an appearance by the Legion’s Colour Guard, as well as pony and hay rides, an antique car show, a beer garden, and a petting zoo. Festivities concluded with a live band and street dance.
This year, Canada Day at Legion Branch 258 on Morrish Rd. will begin at 11 a.m. with opening ceremonies. At 12 p.m., there will be stories from a soldier, followed by festive trivia at 1 p.m. A live band will take the stage at 2 p.m. Other activities will include Canadian Armed Forces Cadet demonstrations, MRE (Meal, Ready-to-Eat) ration tastings, a bouncy castle, and children’s games.
Happy Canada Day, everyone!