Lawnmower races, cupcakes and fireworks: What's happening this Canada Day weekend

Canada Day is coming up this Saturday, July 1, and the southeast is no stranger to big weekend celebrations.  

It all kicks off at the Mennonite Heritage Village (MHV) on July 1, where they will have free admission to the museum, activities and entertainment from 9 AM to 5 PM.  

Horse-drawn wagon rides, waffles with white sauce, and an official ceremony at 11 AM are just some activities happening at the MHV.

After exploring the MHV, head to the Steinbach Soccer Park. There will be a dance party with Summer Bounce, free cupcakes, Canada Day souvenirs and bouncers. The fireworks show will be starting at 10:45 PM. 

Peter Palmer, owner and founder of Canfire Pyrotechnics, says they produce approximately 150 shows each year across Manitoba and neighbouring provinces. However, he says it will be their first time participating in a Steinbach show. 

“We do many shows in the Hanover area, so we are very familiar with the area and then myself as owner of the company, I live in Hanover, I live in Mitchell. This is the first time I'm doing a Canada Day show five minutes away from my home,” Palmer says. 

He adds the fireworks show will last around 20 minutes. Without sharing all the information about the show, Palmer says it will be “Disney-like” with all the colours, unique patterns and graphics. 

We will be at the Canada Day celebration at the Steinbach Soccer Park with Wendy’s Show Us Your Summer from 8 PM to 11 PM. 

Over in Vita, they are celebrating from Friday, June 30 to Sunday, July 2, for their 25th Canada Day Celebration Anniversary. 

Festivities kick off at 4 PM on Friday, and Ang Boychuk says many events are planned for the evening. 

“We have a couple of new events,” Boychuk says. “One is the lawnmower races. That seems to have drawn a lot of interest from a group of racers in Beausejour, so they're going to join us and bring out a crowd of people to entertain. We also have CWE wrestling for the first time. We've never had them before. I have gone to see them in Winnipeg, and I thought it would be a good thing to bring Vita, so we're going to try that out as well.” 

For the rest of the weekend, Boychuk says they have “a really good lineup this year.” 

On Saturday, there will be a parade, gymkhana, a diamond disc dog stunt show, the fan-favourite firework show, and so much more. The celebrations wrap up on Sunday with barbeque, cornhole tournament and bingo. 

We will be there with Wendy’s Show Us Your Summer on Friday from 5 PM to 8 PM! Check out the Vita Canada Day Facebook page to learn more about the events.  

Don’t forget, Wendy’s Show Us Your Summer is now on! This week, show us you and your family enjoying the water to win a $500 hot tub or pool water care package from Urban Life. 

Many golden tickets for the grand finale trailer draw in August are still up for grabs! Find the trailer at Timberfalls and Soccer Park entrance in Steinbach and take a selfie with it, scan the QR code and submit your photo there. You can also find us at events and take a selfie with us! 

Keep checking the Wendy’s Show Us Your Summer page on SteinbachOnline and listening to our radio stations so you don’t miss out on any chances to win big! 

With files from Dave Anthony.