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With mainly sunshine forecasted in the upcoming days, the 54th Annual Flin Flon Trout Festival is set to provide some summer fun for the whole family. Tonight, people can look forward to the fireworks display which gets underway at midnight on the cliffs overlooking Ross Lake. Tomorrow morning, July 1, will feature a pancake breakfast at Creekside Park prior to the Duck Race. Then the parade will get underway at noon on Green Street and wind its way uptown. This year the parade route with head up Sipple Hill because of the construction on Third Avenue. Once it reaches the top of Sipple, the parade will head down to the Duck Pond, then down Bellevue and back onto Third Avenue to make its way pass City Hall up to Main Street. There are also several events planned for Denare Beach on July 1, including the Sunset Beach Party at 8 p.m. with the Queen Mermaids scheduled to make an appearance and fireworks that night. On Friday, July 2, the Main Street attractions will be in full swing. Some of the events include: free bannock brunch from 9 - 11 a.m.; the Ping Pong Ball Drop at 1 p.m., the Credit Union's Slap Shot Game from noon to 5 p.m., the Pharmasave Karaoke from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.; Kinsmen's Mini Golf from 1 to 5 p.m.; bingo; and free ice cream for the first 250 kids at 2 p.m. near Nasselquist's. Also, there is a variety of stage entertainment starting at noon and running throughout the afternoon. On Saturday, July 3, a pancake breakfast will kick off the day at Rotary Park. Some of the Main Street events on Saturday will include: the Credit Union Slap Shot Game; Show and Shine Car Show from noon to 3 p.m., 9-Ball Open Pool Tournament at Rack's Billiards with registration at noon; Pharmasave Sun Care Clinic and Face Painting from 1 to 5 p.m.; bingo; and free ice cream at 2 p.m. near Nasselquist's. There will also be entertainment on the stage throughout the afternoon including the 5th Annual Battle of the Bands. Greg East, the Trout Festival President said he is really encouraged by the hard work that the volunteers have been doing, and with he sponsorship of area businesses. "The theme this year is community pride," said Greg. "Get out and enjoy your community, and hope for sunshine." Greg mentioned that even with a somewhat scaled back version of the festival, there is still lots for people to enjoy. Looking ahead, he mentioned that for next year the organizers are considering sitting down and making some significant changes to the festival so that "it remains something the community can be proud of." See 'Fleetwood' P.# Con't from P.# Greg mentioned that this Friday night, July 2 at the Community Hall, the Tri-Service clubs are hosting the Fish on the Rocks social event, featuring "The Local Guys". This will be a fun time for friends and visitors alike. Tickets for Fish on the Rocks can be bought at the Gateway Drive-In, Victoria Inn, Pharmasave and the Lion's trailer on Main Street. Greg also said that this year's Fish Fry is set for Saturday night and should provide some excellent entertainment for everyone to enjoy. The evening will get started with a short performance by the winner of that afternoon's Battle of the Bands contest. Then, Mahogony Frog, a Winnipeg-based band which features local musician Scott Ellenburger will take the stage. They will be followed by the main band of the night, Dreams and Rumours, who are a Fleetwood Mac cover band from Winnipeg. "They are apparently heralded as the best Fleetwood Mac tribute band in western Canada, so it promises to be a great Fish Fry," commented Greg, who also reminded everyone that there will only be 600 tickets sold this year because the Fish Fry is being held at the Community Hall. Fish Fry tickets are available at Di's Confectionary, Dembinsky's, The Orange Toad and Johnny's. Rick Hall is taking care of the canoe races on Saturday afternoon on Ross Lake near the Stittco boardwalk area. The fun races will be held throughout the afternoon with lots of prizes for different ages groups and categories. The canoes, paddles and lifejackets will all be provided, so come on out and have some fun, starting at 1 p.m. Rick is also excited that local paddling legend Norm Crerar will be joining him at the event. Norm will be bringing two large canoes, replicas of canoes that were used in the famous 1967 cross country race. The large canoes will be available Saturday for a friendly 'poker derby', which everyone can participate in, as it won't be a race but rather just an enjoyable time in the canoe on the lake. Glen Whitbread has been organizing the Month Long Fishing Derby and he will be handing out this year's prizes at 2:15 p.m. at the stage on Main Street on Saturday. Of course the Trout Festival wouldn't be complete without the crowning of this year's Queen Mermaid. This popular event will take place on Sunday evening, July 4. Seating is reserved with tickets available at Christie's Flowers and Wedding Wishes. For the history buffs, it is believed that the Trout Festival originated as a result of a conversation between Bud Jobin and Tom Dobson while they leaned against the fence at the old Town Hall on Main Street. Their desire to bring a sporting event to the area has resulted in one of the longest running festivals in Manitoba. So, there's lots to see and do during the 54th Trout Festival. Come out and enjoy yourself!
