MAPLETON – A full scale Canada Day party won’t be happening here in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the township is still planning to help residents celebrate their nation’s birthday.
The Township of Mapleton normally hosts a Canada Day celebration, with fireworks and family activities on July 1.
Due to the emergence of COVID-19 the 2020 celebration was cancelled.
“Since COVID-19 is still around, and the ever changing health measures in the province we have decided against planning the usual celebration in case at that time it cannot be held,” explained economic development coordinator Aly Cripps in a report at the May 25 council meeting.
“We have changed gears and decided to bring a little bit of our Canada day celebration to households in Mapleton,” the report states.
“Together with the recreation and fire prevention departments we are creating a Mapleton Canada Day Bag that will bring some fun to households across Mapleton. We will start promotion in June for pickup in late June in time for Canada Day.”
Cripps told council that “Working with the recreation department and the fire department, we’re going to do a Canada Day bag instead of our normal celebration.
“With COVID, we can’t really plan a celebration. We hope to in the future again,” she explained.
The bags, which will include items and activities to “bring some fun to households across Mapleton,” will be available for pickup in late June, said Cripps.
Farmers’ market
Cripps said the township is also planning to revive the local farmers’ market tradition, with monthly pop-up markets over the summer, starting on June 16.
The economic development and recreation departments recently released to gauge interest in participation and received responses from 13 interested vendors.
The survey indicated Drayton was the preferred location.
The markets will run from 3 to 7pm on the third Wednesdays of June, July, August and September in the municipal parking lot in Drayton.
Cripps said the Markets are being held on weeknights to avoid conflict with other area markets.
“A lot of them are on Saturdays,” she noted.
“This pop-up style will allow us to get a feeler from both vendors and the community for the interest in a farmers’ market and leave room for us to expand in the future,” states the report, which also noted staff are working with Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health in order to ensure pandemic protocols are followed.
“I am excited for the Mapleton pop-up markets and I’m glad to see that we’ve got some responses,” from vendors, said Mayor Gregg Davidson.
