Lauren Baron
BRANT NEWS

One of Canada’s top acts from the 1970s and 1980s will help the city celebrate the country’s 145th birthday.

Canadian rock legends Chilliwack will headline Brantford’s Canada Day Celebration at Lions Park with a performance on the mainstage on July 1.

Organizers announced the lineup for the event during a press conference at Lions Park Steve Brown Sports Complex on Tuesday.

“We are so excited about all of the great plans that we have throughout the entire day, the entire festival and about all the new features we have planned for this year’s festival,” said Bob Coyne, chair of the city’s 2012 Canada Day committee.

The day kicks off with entertainment by local act The Krystal Lee Band at 11 a.m., followed by opening ceremonies featuring Jennifer Page singing the national anthem at noon.

Waterloo-based country band Kerosene Creek hits the stage at 1 p.m., followed by Shania Twain tribute act Shania Twin at 2 p.m. Florida-based and orange-obsessed band Orangeman is set to perform at 2 p.m., followed by U2 tribute act Desire and the 11-piece 905 Band at 7 p.m.

Chilliwack will take the stage at 9 p.m. before fireworks light up the night sky at 10:30 p.m. to close out the evening.

As usual, Canada Day is a celebration for the whole family, with events, entertainment and activities for children and adults.

A Kidszone features pay-one-price Campbell Amusement rides, pony rides, camp corral activities and more, taking place from noon until 7 p.m.

My Little Pony kicks off entertainment on the children’s stage with performances at 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Freedom House Church will perform a stage show at 1:30 p.m. There will be a meet and greet with Treehouse TV’s Guess with Jess at 2:30 p.m.

Returning for the second year in a row are the Teen Club All Stars, featuring tribute artists to Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift, Adele and Cody Simpson.

“Typically, Canada Day does not repeat entertainment year after year, but the Teen Club All Stars Show was such a hit…we had to bring them back,” said committee member Lori-Dawn Cavin.

New Canadians will take the final step in becoming a Canadian citizen during a citizenship ceremony taking place at 1:30 p.m. at the picnic pavilion.

The theme of this year’s Canada Day Celebration is agriculture. To celebrate that, the Brantford Farmers’ Market, Bountiful Brant, Bite of Brant, Sustainable Brant and local producers of agricultural items will put together an interactive and informative display of fresh produce, farming equipment and more.

All produce will be donated to the Brantford food bank after the event.

The event also includes a new mini car show, Autoland, a market place and food vendors and the Levac’s “Cool Zone” misting station.

The second annual Sullivan Bay Great Canadian Trail Run will run in partnership with the Canada celebrations, with 5 km, 10 km and 1 km runs taking place between 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Registration begins at 8 a.m. Visit www.likerunning.ca for more information.

“The 2012 Brantford Canada Day Celebration has been developed for the community, by the community, with an emphasis on family,” Coyne said. “There is something for everyone and all are welcome to come to Lions Park to join in the celebration.”

During the announcement, Brantford Mayor Chris Friel praised event organizers for their hard work in setting up the daylong event.

“I have spent the last couple of days seeing how things shouldn’t be done,” Friel said referring to the controversy surrounding the Hockeyfest music festival. “This is a model for exactly how things should be done.”

Brant News is offering the chance to win a meet and greet with Chilliwack by entering a ballot and donating a non-perishable food item to the Brantford food bank. More details will be announced shortly.

Visit www.brantford.ca/canadaday, e-mail canadaday@brantford.ca or call 519-756-1500 for more information on Brantford’s Canada Day celebrations.