A celebration of Almonte kicks off Mississippi Mills bicentennial year
A celebration 200 years in the making kicked off in Almonte, Ont. on Saturday with the first big event of the bicentennial year in Mississippi Mills.
Community activities, performances, displays, and contests were held across Almonte to celebrate the town's past and present.
"Our goal is to celebrate every corner of the municipality," Mississippi Mills Mayor Christa Lowry said.
"Certainly, there's a real appreciation of the heritage and history of the area that seems a lot of the residents hold dearly."
Comparative photos showcasing historic and present locations in Almonte were on display at the local library. Many residents also came out to design "My Mississippi Mills" banners that will hang in the library for the next year.
"Having people come together, celebrating the community, and being with their neighbours which many people have missed for quite a while," the library's CEO Christine Row said.
Puppet performances of Almonte's two most famous residents could be found at the library and Heritage Court - Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, and R. Tait Mckenzie, a physician, educator, artist, athlete, and soldier.
"We have a lot of stories to tell," Lowry said. "And whether it's stories like Dr. James Naismith with the invention of basketball; whether it's R. Tait Mackenzie who was one of his good friends."
Live musical performances were also on throughout the day at the legion and local businesses like Levi's Home Hardware.
"It is a business, but it's also more than that to us. It's part of our soul to be able to be part of the community," said Stephane Bourre, store manager at Levi's.
The hardware store has been a staple in Almonte for the last 40 years and was once owned by former mayor and community builder John Levi. It regularly hosts Remembrance Day displays inside the store as well.
Along with its famous former residents and affinity for puppets, Almonte was born out of the mill in industry. Many former mills can still be seen in town, now converted into modern day amenities.
"When you start understanding what [Almonte] is from and how it's based around hard-working Canadians that came out here because the land was affordable; to see that's where it grew from is nice," said Bourre.
The Celebrate Almonte event is one of dozens of events celebrating Mississippi Mills bicentennial year. A list of the year's upcoming events can be found here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.