Fireworks burst in the air over Riverside Park in Cambridge, on Canada Day 2017.
Updated July 2, 2024: Parade livestream recording added.
Livestream recording of Cambridge Canada Day parade July 1, 2024.
To all my Conestoga College students, I wish you a Happy Canada Day on July 1, 2024.
There are no classes on the national holiday, so I encourage you to visit community events across Waterloo Region. Here are events accessible by Grand River Transit buses and Ion LRT trains, running on a holiday schedule.
Cambridge: Canada Day events are planned in Riverside Park, 49 King Street West, starting at 8 a.m. and ending at 10 p.m. with fireworks. A 1 p.m. parade follows King Street, from Bishop Street to Eagle Street, ending near the park entrance. Fireworks are planned at dusk in the park over the Speed River.
Kitchener: There are events planned from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Carl Zehr Square, in front of Kitchener City Hall at 200 King Street West.
Waterloo: A community picnic is planned 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. in Waterloo Park, at 100 Westmount Road West. The ION LRT tracks cross the park, with access at the stations at Seagram Drive and in downtown Waterloo.
Here’s a listing of all the public Canada Day fireworks locations in Waterloo Region.
I enjoy inviting my international students at Conestoga College to take part in community activities and feel connected to their new home.
This week in class, I’ve shared information about the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival is on Saturday, April 6, 2024. It starts at 7 a.m. and runs through the day.
I remember my visits to the Elmira Maple Syrup festival included the chance to take a trip by wagon to see a maple syrup production in a “sugar bush” wooded areas.
It’s been years since I’ve been to the festival in Elmira. I tell students it celebrates Maple Syrup, which is made from sap harvested from maple trees in the spring in the rural areas of Waterloo Region.
It’s held in the town of Elmira, north of Waterloo. Usually, I wouldn’t share an event that’s outside the urban area of Cambridge, Waterloo or Kitchener, because students don’t usually have a car.
The Elmira festival is run by volunteers, to raise money for community events.
I tell students to expect to pay for food and activities, but I remember also having fun just walking around and seeing the displays a sunny early morning in spring.
I tell students to expect to be able to buy pancake breakfasts and other food.
Maple Syrup is a sweet sign of spring in eastern Canada.
Three wins? Perhaps this is the mindset I need on days when things aren’t going well.
As of noon today, I’ve reached two of Neal Foard’s three wins:
Spiritual Win
I’ve been out with the dogs walking under the trees to start my day, with no electronic device in hand. I could have also meditated or prayed or cleaned my desk to help restore my spirit. And I’ll head out for a walk at noon again in the sunshine.
Human Win
I shared my time with a good friend over coffee and talked about things neither of us can change but can learn from. And I shared an insight that might help his business. I shared my kindness.
Physical Win
Later today, I’ll expose my body to some good stress. I’ll spend some time on an exercise bike, getting ready for the summer of trail riding with my wife—then my daily isometric exercise and stretching before bed.
Two of three so far. That’s a win, even if the rest of the day is bumpy.
Thursday, February 1, 2024 – Multi-Employer Hiring Event hosted by Lutherwood, at Cambridge City Hall, 50 Dickson Street, Cambridge, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mostly full-time positions on offer, but some part-time opportunities are promised. Organizers suggest arriving with resumes in hand.
February 7, 2024 – P4E Career and Job Fair is an online event, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It’s a collaborative effort among the University of Guelph, the University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University and Conestoga College. Employers generally offer full-time, co-op, and summer roles.
March 13, 2024 – 2024 Conestoga Job Fair, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the recreation centre at the Doon Campus. It’s also focused on full-time, co-op, and summer seasonal positions for students and alumni.
Santa Claus and a young helper ride the final float in the Hespeler Santa Claus parade in 2017.
Updated November 15, 2024
I encourage my international students at Conestoga College to enjoy Santa Claus parades as the weather turns colder.
Every Canadian city, town, and village seems to have a Santa Claus parade in late November or early December. They’re community gatherings where parents and children gather to watch marching bands, floats, and usually fire trucks.
November 16, 2024, two big parades in Waterloo Region offer different experiences.
Kitchener and Waterloo parade
The first Santa Claus parade on November 18 is the Kitchener-Waterloo event, along Weber Street. It starts at 10 a.m. at Frederick Street near the Downtown Kitchener Campus of Conestoga College. The parade passes near the Waterloo campus of Conestoga. It ends at Erb Street in downtown Waterloo.
It will probably take about an hour or so for all of the floats and displays to pass any location on the route. By tradition, Santa Claus rides a float at the end of the parade, waving to children and wishing a Merry Christmas to all.
Cambridge parades
At 6 p.m., November 18, the Cambridge Santa Claus parade follows Hespeler Road, I startes at Dunbar Road, travels north, and ends at Lang’s Drive. It features illuminated decorations on floats.
Cambridge also hosts a smaller parade on December 2 at 12 p.m. It is in the former Hespeler Village downtown, north of Highway 401. That parade follows Queen Street, starting near Groh Avenue and finishing in Forbes Park on Tannery Street.
Cambridge was formed from three different communities 50 years ago, including Hespeler. The community there celebrates its independence from Cambridge whenever it can, often with its own Hespeler-named celebrations.
Personal Parade planning
Plan to arrive earlier than the start time at the parade route, perhaps an hour or two in the case of larger parades that draw large crowds along the sidewalks.
People often arrive early with bring lawn chairs, hot drinks in thermal cups and bags of snacks. They position themselves along the curb edge of the sidewalk, and wait. People may then stand behind them in second and third rows.
If you’ve never watched a parade in cool or cold weather, I advise dressing more warmly than you first think you need to – even if the weather seems pleasant. If there’s wind, I always feel much colder while standing still. Rain or snow always tests the best of my warm-weather clothing.
I’ve never found running shoes practical footwear when standing on a cold concrete sidewalk. My feet always get cold. I feel miserable, shuffling and stomping my feet to warm up.
Donation requests at parades
Don’t be surprised to see donation requests from some groups passing along on the parade.
Volunteers from local food banks walk the parade routes, collecting cash and food donations people brought with them.
There’s also a good chance you’ll see people carrying buckets and asking for cash donations to help pay for organizing the parade. Marching bands, for example, usually charge a performance fee to cover their travel and operating costs, even if the musicals are volunteers or students.
Christmas holiday parades are a part of local traditions that I genuinely hope my international students can participate in and enjoy.
Buses to parades
The Kitchener-Waterloo parade is easy for students in Kitchener and Waterloo to access using Grand River Transit buses or ION Light Rail Transit. There are several tram stops near the parade route.
The Cambridge parades are also accessible by GRT buses for my students living in Kitchener-Waterloo.
For the November 16 parade, it’s likely most efficient to depart Kitchener from the Fairview Park Mall station using the Route 302 Express bus.
That route stops along Hespeler Road in the middle of the parade route, at Cambridge Centre Shopping Centre transit station. City crews usually start closing Hespeler Road to traffic at about 5:45 p.m. That detours the 302 Route buses to the east along Conestoga Boulevard.
Leaving Kitchener on December 7 to reach the Hespeler village parade, the most direct transit option also starts from Fairview Park Mall station.
Take the Route 302 or Route 206 buses to Sportsworld Station, then transfer to Route 203 buses. The 203 Route has several stops in the Hespeler village area, which shuts to traffic for the parade.
