Pioneer Days is just around the corner, and the festivities will kick off on Friday, August 1 with the 57th annual parade.
Parade route
Tessa Masi, Executive Director of the Steinbach Chamber of Commerce, says preparations for the parade are well underway.
“We have committees that work on this. We meet with the city. They're great partners to help make this happen, and then, of course, the RCMP and all the plans have come together. We're keeping it very similar to what happened last year, which would have been a big change for us.”
The parade route was altered last year due to construction and will remain the same again this year.
“Usually the parade when we hit the corner of Main Street and Highway 12, we turn right, and we go past those businesses there by Victoria Plaza. But because of the construction, now we're going straight through the intersection past Loewen Windows and sort of ending around MPI, that area there on North Front Drive.”
Masi says the updated route was successful, and they’re happy to continue with it.
“We actually really liked how well that pivot worked. With the RCMP letting through intermittent traffic, it actually kept a really good pace to the parade and then with the floats getting off at North Front Drive and dispersing from there, there was actually a really good rhythm to the parade, and we didn't get bottlenecked anywhere.”
Safety and viewing tips
Unger Excavating is joining as a safety sponsor this year to help enhance parade safety measures.
“What you can expect is that we're going to slow down traffic even more on the other side of Main Street just to make sure that our kids are safe when they're watching.”
Masi encourages parents to help keep children safe by ensuring they stay behind the barricade tape or remain on the medians.
“We've spent a lot of time planning this year specifically on saying, ‘How can we make this event really, really safe’. So, parents can definitely help with that. Please don't let your kids chase candy onto the street, and then people in the parade can help by making sure that when they're throwing candy, they're doing it to the barricade tape and where the kids are standing so that they're not tempted to run into the street.”
She notes that there will be several great spots to enjoy the parade, including near the fire hall.
“There's lots of candy there because they haven't thrown it all away yet. And there's lots of green space. The Clock Tower corner, that's a really popular spot as well. And then now, since we're going past Loewen Windows, there are some grassy patches there as well. So, if you're looking for a place to sit, and you don't want to maybe be in all the fray of where the most people are, consider watching there.”
She also reminds spectators to avoid sitting across from Victoria Plaza, as the parade will not be traveling past that area.
Float lineup
Masi says float registrations closed last week, and they are very close to hitting record numbers.
“We have over 115 floats, which is fantastic. It's going to be a fabulous parade to watch.”
There will be three float award categories this year:
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Best Pioneer Spirit – Sponsored by Barman Concrete
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Most Creative – Sponsored by Titanium Mechanical
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Most Engaging – Sponsored by Shoppers Drug Mart
“The businesses have really stepped up in the last couple of years specifically and brought their A-game and brought a lot of fun to the parade. It certainly is not just watching 115 vehicles go by, that's definitely not what it is,” Masi says.
She adds that the Pipe Band, sponsored by Clearview Coop, leads the parade, which is a community favourite.
Community participation and thanks
Masi says the parade is made possible by a large team of volunteers, community partnerships, and generous sponsors.
“There is a lot of planning, but there's also a lot of community partnerships which let us be able to facilitate and pay some bills that come with that and make that happen. So, the other sponsors that I really want to highlight are Quarry Oaks, OnPoint, Oakleaf, Books and Balance.”
She adds that the Chamber is proud to partner with the City of Steinbach to bring this event to life.
“Without them and all their volunteers, we wouldn't be able to make this happen. The Community Relations Committee with the Chamber, that works really hard on this all our volunteers and people coming together just make this event something that's really special for our community and obviously being able to showcase our 57th annual Pioneer Days Parade is something that's really special for us.”
Tin for the Bin
Spectators are also encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item to support South East Helping Hands.
“When they go past with their little shopping carts, you can toss those in, and that's something that's really helpful to them.”
With files from Judy Peters
