Happy birthday, Canada!

What a great day we had on July 1!

Many hundreds of people joined the Friends of Murphys Point Park throughout the day to celebrate Canada’s birthday and take part in fun activities. It was definitely a scorcher, but a fine breeze blew off the waters of Hogg Bay to keep the air moving at the beach during our annual (and popular!) barbecue and Canada Day cake event. Thank you to Tay Valley Township Reeve Keith Kerr for bringing greetings from the township and helping to cut and serve the cake!

The beach is a great place to be on any hot day, but on this day about 200 people (big and little!) tried the rope bridge provided by our friends with Scouts Canada from 12:45 until about 4:30 p.m. They had a line-up all day! The youngest crosser was two years old and the oldest was a grandmother in her late 60s. Lots of campers came to watch and cheer the crossers on! Canada Day tattoos and pins were given out to one and all. Thanks to Lynn, Dave and friends for providing this fun activity!

Earlier in the day, more than 140 visitors attended the park’s first Silver Queen Mine Open House of the season, staffed in part by all three Friends of Murphys Point Park student interpreters. Park staff were also on hand in the afternoon with natural heritage displays, including information about bird species of Murphys Point and the incredible wing spans that some of them have!

And speaking of birds, the day wrapped up with a great show by Wild Ontario at the amphitheatre, featuring a live Barred Owl, Peregrine Falcon, Red-tailed Hawk and Broad-winged Hawk. More than 100 people braved the heat to take in the show. Thanks to Don and Tobi and the volunteers who provided treats for the amphitheatre show.

A huge thank you to our treasurer, Don Goodfellow, for coordinating the barbecue, and to all of our volunteers who helped with the day. And thanks to everyone who visited, supported the barbecue and took part in the Canada Day celebrations!

As well, much gratitude to the Government of Canada (Canadian Heritage) for funding for the Canada Day cake and the Wild Ontario show.

Stay tuned for more events this summer!