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Miss Teen London - World, Kelsey Johnson
Co-Host, Canada Day in Harris Park!
I hope all of you were able to enjoy your holiday! The London community, where I am from, was fortunate to have a variety of events going on that day! Although I was unable to attend them all, I had a wonderful time co-hosting the festivities at Harris Park! London Celebrates Canada had been working hard the past few months to pull everything together, and the end result had surpassed all expectations!
An estimated 38,000 people passed through the park, and over 8,000 alone viewed the
"Portraits of Honour"
display brought in by artist Dave Sopha. The painting bares the images of then 155 Canadian soldiers that gave their lives for our country in Afghanistan.
Although I was busy co-hosting, I was able to make my way around the park. There were bouncy castles and games, trucks and other military equipment courtesy of the armed forces, horse and carriage rides as well as the Portraits of Honour display. On stage, performances were carried out by local talent; among them Genevieve Fisher and Sea and City. A
Pow Wow
was also held by the Aboriginal Peoples at noon, and was incredible to watch!
Opening Ceremonies
During the Opening Ceremony, I had the honour of sitting on stage with local politicians. They included Chris Bentley (MPP London West), Deb Mathews (MPP London North Centre, Minister of Health) and Ed Holder (Conservative MP London West) among others. There, I was acknowledged by Randy Warden, chairman of London Celebrates Canada, for my accomplishments as Miss Teen London-World. I was asked to stand, and was applauded by all who were in attendance! Thank you Randy!
Afterwards, I was asked to join Mayor Joe Fontana and others in the traditional cutting of the Canada Day cake! Missed it? I also had the pleasure of serving it to those in attendance as well as to the members of the Canadian Forces.
As mentioned, my role was co-hosting the show, but I also served cake to the public and the Canadian Armed Forces. I also collected donations on behalf of Celebrate Canada, and handed out Canadian flags to children!
Canadian Armed Forces
It is important to recognize those who are fighting for our country! It was nice to see Londoners taking the time out of their day to thank them for their services! Everyone seemed to enjoy the equipment they brought to Harris Park, and it was nice to be able to chat with some of the soldiers about their experiences and goals with the military.
Unfortunately, all good things have to come to an end! That being said, the day ended shortly after 10pm with a large fireworks display. The display is so large that Ivey Park and the bridge to downtown London are closed every year at night for the event.
Thank you!
I would like to send out a HUGE thank you to London Celebrates Canada again for inviting me to participate in the Canada Day festivities. More specifically to its Chairman Randy Warden, and the Director of Media Relations and Communications, Rossana Wyatt! Also, thanks to everyone who came out to make the event so successful! We had over 200 volunteers this year too!
You guys rock!
Kelsey
Kelsey Johnson
Miss Teen London - World 2011
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