Whether it’s attached to a long weekend, or standing alone in the middle of the week, Canada Day is a family-oriented celebration on the Sunshine Coast.

In Sechelt, the annual Canada Day Parade is the highlight of the day – a great introduction to a celebration that lasts well into the evening! After the Lion’s Club serves up a pancake breakfast at Trail Bay Mall by Gilligan’s Pub *starting at 8 a.m.), kids get busy with the Bicycle Decorating Contest in the mall (9.30 – 10.30) The kids have to work fast – they’ll be leading the parade, which launches from Ocean Avenue at 10.40 a.m. The Coasters Car Club parade in their vintage vehicles after the bikes; they’ll be lining them up for a show ‘n’ shine at Hackett Park after the parade, until 2 p.m. (when they head down to Gibsons). Floats, bands, and other participants follow the parade route from Ocean, down Cowrie Street, across Inlet and up Dolphin Street to Hackett Park, where merchants, crafters and food vendors have set up booths under the trees. Note that Cowrie Street will be closed to traffic from 10.30 a.m. – 12.30 p.m. Buses will be rerouted with pickups on Teredo at Wharf (if bound for Gibsons/Ferry) or on Teredo in front of the Seaside Centre (if bound for West Sechelt or Halfmoon Bay).

At Hackett Park, the Xwamstut Dance Group from the Sechelt Nation presents a special opening prayer and songs of welcome on the main stage at 12.30 p.m. A rousing chorus of O Canada followed by speeches by local dignitaries and serving cake (of course) leads into an afternoon of great entertainment by The Precious Littles, Jean Pierre Makosso’s African Dance Ensemble, Penny Lang, Definitely Diva, and more! There’s lots for the kids to enjoy, too – that perennial favourite, the “bouncy castle;” face painting; crafts; Story Theatre; the fire safety house; pony rides; the Scouts rope bridge; and a display by the Sunshine Coast Astronomical Society. And there are contests, too! In 2010, prizes can be won t for Best of the Beards and Moustaches, and for Historic Costumes (call 604.885.9611 for more information.)

In the evening, Cowrie Street closes again as the Creek Big Band crank up the fun another notch, with a family street dance from 6.30 – 10.30 p.m. Sit out a few tunes at the Beer Garden (in front of The Dock complex on Cowrie). Enjoy your refreshments and help the Arrowhead Society raise funds – painlessly- for their new centre now under renovation on Dolphin (at the old RCMP building).

Sechelt’s Canada Day festivities (presented annually by the Sechelt Downtown Business Association) offer more events and contests every year, and still deliver a neighbourly day to “catch the spirit.”

In Gibsons, the Gibsons Rotary Club partners with the Town’s Canada Day Committee to present an afternoon of free entertainment from noon to 5 p.m. The Rotary’s Barbeques will be fired up and the scent of fried onions and sizzling burgers will waft over Winegarden Waterfront Park from the bus shelter – tantalizing the folks browsing among the merchants’ stalls that line Gower Point Road. The Park is a natural amphitheatre; bring lawn chairs and get comfortable to enjoy an afternoon of live music starting at noon on the Rotary Waterfront Stage with absolutely terrific performances by Jeremy Thom, Charlotte Wrinch, John “Tenbear” Thompson, the Suncoast Concert Band, and The Copper Stills. Gibsons’ picturesque harbor provides a great backdrop for the Canada Day festivities and between sets, watch members of the Gibsons Paddle Club offering outrigger canoe rides. At 2:30, the Legion Colour Guard will carry and raise the flag at the park, to the accompaniment of drumming by a member of the Squamish Nation. After a rousing chorus of O Canada, and speeches by Mayor Janyk, MP John Weston and MLA Nicholas Simons, the dignitaries will dish out the cake and the Rotary Waterfront Stage will be claimed by the musicians once again. Live music continues through to 5 p.m. 2010, And don’t miss the Coasters Car Club’s Show ‘n’ Shine, with gorgeous vintage vehicles lining Gower Point Road above Winegarden Park from 2.30 – 5 p.m.

At the other end of the Coast, Pender Harbour offers cake and coffee at the Marketplace IGA in Madeira Park, starting at 10 a.m. They’re saving the celebration for the weekend, with the 21st Malaspina Regatta on July 3rd and 4th. Hosted by the Garden Bay Sailing Club, the regatta features a mix of cruisers and performance boats. With a mix of classes and sizes of sailboats competing, a complex handicap system ensures that bigger isn’t always better in these races! At 5.30 p.m., the Pender Harbour Legion (in Madeira Park) serves their legendary “Christmas in July” complete turkey dinner ($18 per person; or $9 for children under 12) with live music by Appassionato, featuring Randy Rayment and Lori Carmichael. Tickets may be purchased at the Legion; call 604.883.2235. On Sunday, the regatta winds up with in-harbour dinghy racing, starting at noon. For more information about the regatta: www.freewebs.com/gbsailingclub.

Put on your red-and-white T-shirt, lather on the sunscreen, and catch the bus to celebrate the anniversary of our country’s birth – in laid-back, family-friendly Coastal style!