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Canada Day contest a hit in Airdrie

With more than 100 households taking part in the inaugural Canada Day Home Decorating Contest, Airdrie Parade Committee (APC) feels the event was a roaring success.

“The amount of effort and creativity our entrants put into decorating their homes was awesome,” said Sam Morros, APC social media co-ordinator. “We got to see some really amazing displays of Canada spirit and community spirit – it was fabulous.”

APC organized the contest as an alternative way to celebrate the holiday after the annual Canada Day Parade was cancelled due to COVID-19.

Throughout the city, homes were decked out with Canadian flags and red and white decorations July 1. Some participants dressed their houses with other national symbols, Morros said – one family placed a canoe on their driveway, while others placed cutouts of cartoon beavers on their lawns. Another household set out Adirondack chairs.

One highlight for Morros was a cul-de-sac where every household was decorated for the contest.

“They were having a bit of a block party with the contest and everyone was in the street having fun,” she said. “That was sort of the environment we were hoping to create with this event.”

Four judges – Mayor Peter Brown, Airdrie-East MLA Angela Pitt, Banff-Airdrie MP Blake Richards and Airdrie Lioness President Brandee Scarrott – joined APC members on a tour around Airdrie to check out the displays and pick their 10 favourite households. The community was able to vote daily on their favourite house among the finalists from July 2 to July 7.

According to Morros, each of the finalists will receive a prize.

“The community vote essentially determined the ranking and who gets what prize,” she said. “We purchased [the prizes] from local companies, but the actual sponsor for the prize money was the federal government through the [Building Communities through Heritage] grant.”

Even those who did not participate in the contest had the opportunity to join the Canada Day fun, as APC released an interactive map outlining the location of every competing household the day before the contest. Residents could plan their own tour of Airdrie to drive around and check out the houses.

“A lot of people said they had a lot of fun putting their displays together and a lot of houses reported that lots of people were driving around checking out the houses, so there was a good amount of community participation, even outside of the people who chose to decorate their houses,” Morros said.

Given the popularity of the event this year, Morros said APC members are now considering turning the Canada Day Home Decorating Contest into an annual event to be held in conjunction with the committee’s Canada Day Parade.

“It’s something we’re talking about and exploring,” she said. “I think it’s something that could run excellently alongside the parade, or happen later on in the day. It’s definitely a conversation we’re having.”

Scott Strasser, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @scottstrasser19




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