Tourism Moose Jaw (TMJ) won’t have to scramble to find enough money to host Canada Day and the exciting fireworks show, after the Kinsmen Club donated $11,500 to this year’s event.
The club has supported Canada Day ever since the organizing committee — composed of employees from Tourism Moose Jaw and residents — took over managing the event a few years ago, Jacki L’Heureux-Mason, TMJ executive director and committee co-chair, explained on Feb. 28 at the visitors’ centre.
“… They’d give a donation, which was awesome. Then you’d have to spend a lot of time running around getting other donations (of $500 and $1,000). This saves us effort (without the pressure) and we can put that into planning, which is a lot more fun for us,” she said.
The $11,500 covers about 80 per cent of the total cost to host the festivities in Crescent Park, with the Kinsmen Club the main sponsor of the event. The living library will return again this year, while the fireworks are expected to be at Hamilton Flats.
The club thought it would be a good idea to provide more support this year to make it easier on the committee so it didn’t have to worry about finding funds or not having fireworks, explained Kinsmen member Jeremy Hansen. The club also wanted to give more help since Canada Day has activities for children, which is a big focus for the organization.
“So we stepped up and gave them money and it’s just a win-win for both of us,” he said.
The money came from fundraisers the Kinsmen hold throughout the year, such as the Sports Celebrity Banquet, the weekly Wednesday Chase the Ace fundraisers at Cask 82, and bartending events, along with general funds in the bank.
It was important to make this donation since most of the members are family men, Hansen added. They know times are tough economically, so it was important for the club to continue to have a presence at Canada Day and support the activities.
“We’ve proven as we’ve grown it over the last couple of years that people want to be here to celebrate Canada Day,” L’Heureux-Mason said. “We hope it can become a bit of a tourist destination for us. But for sure, it’s something the community can enjoy.”
There will be many activities for all ages — including seniors — and it will be free due to the Kinsmen’s generosity, she continued. The living library — which had 19 booths last year — is expected to grow this year. It allows children to try different sports and activities without spending money.
The living library also gives residents an idea of what is available to do in Moose Jaw, since it can be easy to think there isn’t much to do here, L’Heureux-Mason remarked.
“It’s really easy to see there is actually a ton of stuff to do,” she said.
Last year about 3,500 people attended the Canada Day festivities, which shattered the record set for Canada 150, when about 2,200 people attended. L’Heureux-Mason believes visitors and residents will put this event on their calendars as something to look forward to in the future.
