Vankleek Hill’s Our Canadian Heritage Festival will be on Sunday, May 21.

The day begins at 10 a.m. with a Creative Hat Competition, followed by a Children’s Parade through the village led by Hannah at 10:45 a.m. In the morning, 50 vintage tractors will arrive in town and park along Home Avenue and in the parking lot of Country Depot. Dance Eight will perform on stage and in the streets.

At noon, on centre stage a celebration in memory of Phil Arber and Fred Torak will highlight the music of Ron Bankley.

1 p.m.—Lise Pearl dancers will delight the crowds.

2 p.m.—There will be a performance by Voix La, a local singing group will feature vintage songs led by Chris Picard.

2:45 p.m.—Vankleek Hill Fiddlers will perform traditional fiddle tunes.

3:30 p.m.—Local square dancers will take to the streets in a Virginia Reel.

To cap off the day, the vintage tractors will drive along Main Street.

A street fair including kiosks of crafts, antiques, and a variety of restaurateurs will line Main Street throughout the day. The Vankleek Hill Museum will have interactive wool processing and will be featuring livestock from Elishka Farms. Several members of the Vankleek Hill Farmers Market will display their fresh local products. Four art shows will be on throughout town.

Several community groups will be promoting their special projects. Opportunity Knox will offer 150 pies for sale (at a booth across the street from The Review, relocated indoors at The Review in case of rain) to celebrate Canada 150, with proceeds going towards its efforts to bring Syrian refugees to Canada. Shawn Séguin encourages runners to join him in a 5 km run around town to raise money for diabetes and to support his participation in a marathon in Iceland later in the summer. Save the Trees spearheaded by Andy Perreault will bring attention to protests against clear-cutting with a pop-up forest of colourful posters.

Arbor Gallery, located at 36 Home Avenue in Vankleek Hill, will be open with an art show and Three Owls Studio & Gallery 1t 151 Main Street East will be open Saturday and Sunday, May 20 and 21, from noon to 5 p.m. This gallery will be showing pottery by Robin Hutchinson, ceramics by Maggie Roddan, sculpture by Marie Dumais (made from recycled branches) and recent paintings from Jephcott’s Big Red Canoe series that are marking Canada’s 150th anniversary.

For more information, contact Samme Putzel 613-678-2873 or Suzanne Hocquard 613-677-4722; or email [email protected].