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Aldergove’s Canada Day Parade the start of a good idea

“I want the Aldergrove Parade to be about more than just the Fair.”
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Mike Robinson proudly displays one of the flags that will form part of his float. When completed, the float will display the flags of all of Canada’s provinces and territories. This float is the first of a collection of floats that will form the nucleus of a much larger parade in 2019. (photo / Tim Collins)

“I want the Aldergrove Parade to be about more than just the Fair.”

That’s the sentiment that has motivated the Aldergrove Fair Days director, Mike Robinson, to work toward a much bigger, and far different parade this Canada Day.

“We’ve had the parade for a lot of years, but we’ve shifted it to Canada Day so that it gives people a chance to celebrate our country while they enjoy the parade.”

Robinson also acknowledged that, for parade organizers, the shift will make it easier to garner the volunteer help necessary for an event of this kind.

“We were finding that our volunteers were really stretched between the fair and the parade, and in order to make our parade something really special, it is always important to have the volunteers to do the job.”

But beyond the celebration of the country and the expediency of maximizing volunteer availability, Robinson explained that the Canada Day Parade will have a fundamental difference from past Aldergrove Fair Days parades.

“This year the parade will still be held in Aldergrove, but in years to come we are going to take in all of Langley and perhaps even other communities. We’re going to develop about a dozen really substantial floats and then, in each community we visit, we’ll invite them to join in with their own floats,” said Robinson.

“And, of course, along with the floats, each community will have a chance to show off their own marching bands, dance groups, classic cars … everything you can image in a parade.”

To get things started, Robinson is hard at work on his own contribution, a float that will depict a giant map of Canada, complete with provincial flags and a colorful display of all the country’s provinces and territories.

“This is really a lot of work, but it’s also a lot of fun,” said Robinson from his home workshop.

He added that the concept is not a new one, having been applied in other centers. When the concept is fully implemented the parade route will increase from the current few kilometers to more than 30 km in 2019.

This year’s parade will start at 9:45 a.m. on Sunday, July 1 and travel along Fraser highway from 268th St. to 273rd St. It will feature the first of the super floats along with a myriad of other attractions and entertainment.