From a pumped performance by Matt Mays to the magic of the buskers an a spectacular fireworks show, organizers have something planned for everyone during the Canoe ‘09 Festival on Prince Albert Road.The family-friendly event is expected to entertain more than 100,000 people in conjunction with the 2009 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships presented by Bell Aliant on Lake Banook in Dartmouth. The festival, which runs until Sunday, Aug. 16, will kick off Wednesday, Aug. 12, with the opening ceremonies slated to begin at 8 p.m. with the Mays free concert slated for Friday night.
“We couldn’t be happier with the extremely high calibre of entertainment and activities for the festival,” said Canoe ‘09 Chair Chris Keevill. “It is a perfect complement to the excitement of the Olympic-level races that will be taking place at the Bell Aliant Racing Centre on Lake Banook.
“It’s hard to imagine a more entertaining family weekend.”
The Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation Support4Sport stage beside Mic Mac AAC will host the opening ceremonies with a parade of flags on the lake accompanied by live native drum music performed by the Sons of Membertou. Artist Holly Carr will be onstage painting a silk canvas.
After the official opening, spectators will be treated to a dazzling showcase of Rhythms of Nova Scotia created by the producers of DRUM! The performance will include musicians, dancers, drummers, and singers from Nova Scotia’s four principal cultures — Aboriginal, African Nova Scotian, Celtic, and Acadian.
The evening will finish off with an extravagant fireworks display, including a breathtaking “waterfall effect” supported by the Alexander Keith’s Natal Day Committee.
The Concert on the Lake, a thank you to the fans, volunteers and supporters of Canoe ‘09, will begin Friday, Aug. 14, at 8 p.m. and is headlined by award-winning band Matt Mays. His five-member band with deep Dartmouth roots couldn’t be more excited.
“We’re a bunch of Dartmouth kids getting to play on Prince Albert Road; we’re really excited,” said Mays keyboardist Adam Baldwin, who paddled for a number of years at Cheema. “We really don’t get to play in Dartmouth, too much so it’s nice.
“They can certainly expect us to come out with all guns a blazing. It really is a big deal for us.”
Canadian rocker Jon Mullane, whose song Make You Move, was used by NBC in its Olympic promos, will open the show. From Thursday to Sunday, the festival will begin 30 minutes before the races start and end 30 minutes after the last race. In addition to vendors, exhibits and displays along Prince Albert Road, there will be juggling, comedy, magic tricks, and even fire eating as several local performers from the International Buskers Festival entertain daily.
Daniel Mahoney will defy gravity in his amazing pogo performances and there will be many activities for younger children, including bouncy castles, slides, colouring contests, balloon art, clowns, and face painting. The Discovery Centre will present a variety of hands-on activities in the Interactive Area and, in the international spirit of Canoe ‘09, there will be live animals from around the world. The audience will get to touch and hold everything from tarantulas and frogs to a four-metre-long python.
Todd Labrador, a skilled builder of authentic Mi’kmaq birch bark canoes, will be onsite demonstrating the process and the Lifesaving Society will talk about safe boating and will conduct an on-water demonstration over the lunch break on Saturday.
The closing ceremonies are slated for 4 p.m. on Sunday, with the passing of the ICF flag to Poznań, Poland, which will host the event next year. There will also be live entertainment at the closing ceremonies.
A schedule of events is available at www.canoe09.ca.
For more information contact:
Stacey Jones-Oxner
Communications Chair
902-497-6062
soxner@canoe09.ca
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