A good deed by a patriotic Canadian will ensure a Canada Day tradition in Rossland goes off without a hitch on Saturday.
Colin Taylor and a friend hiked to the top of Mount Roberts on June 21st to do some repairs to the flagpole at the top of the 1900-metre peak.
“It’s just my little way to support the cause of the flag-raising on the First of July,” says Taylor. “The rope was in tatters and tangled, so we went up to replace the rope. There’s no way to get a new rope on there without climbing to the top of the pole.”
Taylor, an arborist by trade, scaled the 10-metre pole using his tree-climbing equipment.
“It was beautiful up there, but it was really windy, which makes things more interesting when you get to the top,” he says, though it only took about 10 minutes to swap out the rope.
It’s not the first time Taylor’s done maintenance on the flagpole. About seven years ago he climbed the pole to replace the aging block-and-tackle that allows the flag to be raised and lowered. Taylor says he loves going to that spot.
“It’s a fantastic place, I ski up there all winter. I mostly lived up there this winter, conditions were so good,” he told the Trail Times. “It’s so nice to go up in summer, it’s something I rarely do.”
However, Taylor won’t be on hand to watch the results of his work on Saturday.
“Canada Day is a special day for me, it’s my birthday,” he says. “I tend to relax and enjoy myself in other ways.
“But I’ll be watching the ceremony from town though, you can see it easily from there.”
On Saturday morning, dozens of people will trek to the peak, raise a fresh flag over the area, and sing ‘O Canada’. People interested in participating should gather at 8 a.m. at the Rossland Museum and Discovery Centre parking lot.
If hiking to the top of a mountain isn’t your thing on Canada Day, there are plenty of other activities going on to entertain and spark your patriotic fervour.
The main event in the Trail area is the Canada 150 party at Kiwanis Beaver Creek Park from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.. Everyone’s encouraged to wear red and white, to show your Canadian spirit.
The events at the park include:
8 a.m. - 10:30 a.m., Kiwanis concession pancake &sausage breakfast
10 a.m. - 3 p.m., Community group displays
Starting at 10 a.m., Face painting, children’s games and scavenger hunt
11 a.m. - 3 p.m., Kiwanis concession hamburger &hot dog lunch
Noon, Opening Ceremonies and the singing of ‘O Canada’. There will be free birthday cake for all, and a red-and-white Canada t-shirt for the first 350 people to show up to take part in the photo shoot of the human Canadian flag.
The Canada Day celebration will end with fireworks at Gyro Park at dusk, at approximately 9 p.m..
If you don’t want to deal with parking and traffic out by the park, you can take advantage of the free, wheelchair-accessible bus service is available to and from the park.
Leaves downtown Trail:
Pine Ave &Farwell St.
9 a.m., 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m.
Pick Up / Drop Off Stops:
7th Ave. &McBride St. (Shavers Bench),
Highway Dr. (City Works),
Old Waneta Rd. (in front of Maglio’s)
Leaves Beaver Creek Park:
Returns to Downtown Trail via the Pick Up / Drop Off Stops
10:30 a.m., Noon, 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.