Feux d’artifice pour la #fêteduCanada – La question du jour. Avec les feux de forêt à travers la province et les directives du gouvernement, nous surveillons de près la situation. Aucune décision n’a été encore prise concernant les feux d’artifice pour le 1 juillet à Deux-Montagnes. Nous sommes au courant des annulations des feux dans certaines villes avoisinantes pour la fête Nationale. On vous tiendra au courant.
CanadaDay Fireworks – The hot topic of the day – With the forest fires across the province and the recent directives from the government, we are following the situation closely. No decision has been taken as of yet with regards to the July 1st fireworks in Deux-Montagnes. We are aware of the fireworks cancellations for the Fête Nationale in some neighbouring cities. We will keep you informed of the situation. Happy St-Jean to all!
A Deux-Montagnes tradition is back once again on July 1st!
Deux-Montagnes, June 5, 2023 – The program for the 52nd edition of Canada Day, celebrated in Deux-Montagnes, was unveiled at a press conference held on June 5th at City Hall. The Mayor of Deux-Montagnes, Denis Martin, and the President of the Canada Day Organizing Committee for the Deux-Montagnes MRC, Tom Whitton, are inviting all citizens of the MRC to gather in large numbers on Saturday, July 1st, at Central Park in Deux-Montagnes.
Organized by a volunteer committee in collaboration with the Ville de Deux-Montagnes, this is the only celebration of Canada’s Confederation in the North Shore region of Montreal, and one of the few in the entire Laurentians. “It’s an honour for the Ville de Deux-Montagnes to be a partner in Canada Day, an event that always brings the region’s citizens together. It’s also a privilege to be able to count on an outstanding committee of volunteers. Their invaluable involvement enables thousands of people to celebrate our pride in being Canadian through a diversified program that reflects our image,” declared Denis Martin, Mayor of Deux-Montagnes.
“After two-consecutive virtual editions of the event due to the pandemic, last year’s open-air celebrations were a great success, with some 10,000 people gathering in Central Park. We can’t wait to get back to the festive atmosphere of friends and family,” says Tom Whitton of the organizing committee. “Deux-Montagnes is by far the best place to celebrate Canada Day on the North Shore. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank our partners, the Ville de Deux-Montagnes, the Government of Canada and the Caisse Desjardins de Saint-Eustache-Deux-Montagnes, for their significant contribution to our heritage event.
Enjoy a wide range of programs suitable for the entire family! Starting at 11 am, a host of family activities will be offered on-site, including inflatable games, face painting for children, train rides, a horseshoe tournament and bingo. New for this year, an artisans’ market will be held from 11 am to 4 pm. Following the opening ceremony at 12 pm, a children’s race will take place, followed by the egg-throwing event at 2:30 pm.
Get ready to enjoy non-stop music on the site from 3 pm til midnight! The late-night performance will be presented by the ELTON SONGS group, paying homage to the legendary Elton John. And don’t miss out on the spectacular fireworks show at 10 pm – it’s a long-time Deux-Montagnes tradition not to be missed!
An extremely dedicated volunteer for some 20 years…
In any given year, the Canada Day Committee seeks to recognize individuals who contribute to community life in our region by bestowing upon them the title of honorary president for our festivities. 2023 is no exception, as the committee is proud to announce that this year’s honorary president is current and outgoing Deux-Montagnes Softball Association (DMSA) president, Trevor Horwood.
Born in Montreal in 1970, Trevor’s family moved to the region in the late 70s, flip-flopping between Deux-Montagnes and Saint-Eustache, while spending weekends at his grandparents’ place in Val-David. In the mid 90s, Trevor began dating a childhood friend, Gina Marricco, marrying the love of his life in 1998. They bought their first house in Saint-Eustache in 1999, followed 10 days later by the birth of their first son, Evan. Their two other boys came along, Corey in 2001 and Adam in 2006. With Evan having recently left the coop for western Canada, the remaining family continues to live in Saint-Eustache to this day.
Trevor’s adventure with Deux-Montagnes softball came somewhat late. He began playing recreationally in the late 1990s. With Evan at T-Ball age, Trevor stepped up as a coach in the DMSA and has never looked back. 20 years later, Trevor is now in his final year with the DMSA, having been a coach or a supervisor for all his kids.
Since 2010, Trevor has also served the organization as an executive, first as Vice-President, Junior Leagues, ensuring the growth and stability for boys and girls softball, a unique recreational offering for the region. In 2018, Trevor ascended to the role of President of the entire organization (Juniors and Adults), a position which he will relinquish at this fall’s annual general meeting. Trevor and his family have basically been a mainstay at Olympia Park for 20 years. As Trevor leaves the organization this fall for new challenges, the DMSA is on solid footing – 52 teams, including 16 kids teams. He can be proud of what he has accomplished over his 20 years with the DMSA.
Besides softball, throughout all that time, Trevor and Gina remained active parents, driving the kids to hockey or baseball all across the province. Trevor has coached hockey as well and is certainly at Gina’s side, supporting her “Team Sugar Rush” fundraising activities for the Canadian Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.
Any interaction with Trevor will reveal instantly the type of person you are dealing with – hard-working, devoted, humble, family-oriented, kind. Having dedicated most of his volunteerism in Deux-Montagnes, the children and parents of this city and the surrounding region have all benefitted from his passion for providing a summer pastime for our youth. Trevor is a role model for others, and his shoes will be hard to fill in the DMSA. What is next for Trevor is not clear, though you may see hints of his future at Central Park, as he and former honorary president, Troy Ewenson, will be running the first annual Canada Day cornhole (beanbags) tournament.
Congratulations Trevor on your outstanding contribution to community life and we look forward to seeing what is next!
As we come out of the pandemic, the importance of volunteers contributing to the well-being of a community has never been more important. Yet the pool of people willing to offer their time is dwindling. We need to find inspirations to show us the way and set the examples for the generations of today and tomorrow. The Canada Day Committee always seeks to accomplish this in recognizing community members as our honorary president. For 2022, the Committee has chosen someone who personifies this dedication, and who at his age, still offers his precious time today to the community. The Canada Day Committee is proud to announce as its honorary president for the 2022 Canada Day celebrations, Mr. Albert Allen.
Albert grew up in Montreal and began his career working as an electrician, eventually becoming a draftsman. He married Sandy Potts in 1965, a love story which continued right up to Sandy’s passing in 2016. Albert and Sandy moved to Deux-Montagnes in 1978, purchasing their house on 16th Avenue from Albert’s parents, a home where Albert continues to live in today.
It is hard to dissociate Albert from Sandy when you talk about their volunteering. For 30+ years, whether it was helping seniors at Manoir St-Eustache, offering food for Meals on Wheels, supporting the various Lions Club activities or helping celebrate Canada Day, Albert and Sandy were always there to give their time and make our community better.
Albert and Sandy continued their volunteerism well beyond Albert’s retirement in 2002. After Sandy’s passing in 2016, Albert continued this legacy by offering his culinary skills for Meals on Wheels. And Albert currently teaches a wood-carving class pro-bono. Albert will certainly be seen at the Canada Day kitchen this year. Albert has always been a do-ers, and because of his dedication to our community, we are all richer for it. The Committee congratulates Albert Allen on his many years of volunteerism and service to our region.
Deux-Montagnes, June 14, 2022– The schedule for the 51st edition of Canada Day celebrated in Deux-Montagnes, was announced at a press conference held yesterday at City Hall. The Mayor of Deux-Montagnes, Mr. Denis Martin, and the President of the Canada Day Committee for MRC Deux-Montagnes, Mr. Tom Whitton have invited the entire MRC population to gather in large numbers on Friday, July 1st at Central Park in Deux-Montagnes.
“It is an honour for the City of Deux-Montagnes to be a partner for Canada Day. After two years of the pandemic. The desire to gather together around our common values is more evident than ever. I salute the commitment of the organizing committee for putting together festivities which will allow for the entire population of the MRC, from young to old alike, to come celebrate here which collectively gives us pride in being Canadian,” declared Mr. Denis Martin, Mayor of Deux-Montagnes.
For his part, Mr. Tom Whitton, Committee President, mentioned, “We have al gone through difficult moments since Spring 2020. A return to our traditional, open-air celebration at Central Park is an important step towards a return to a normal life. Also, Deux-Montagnes is, by far, the best place to celebrate Canada Day on the North Shore or in the Greater Montreal Region. I must thank our partners, the City of Deux-Montagnes, the Government of Canada, Desjardins – Caisse de Saint-Eustache/Deux-Montagnes and Selection Retraite Deux-Montagnes for their substantial contribution to our memorable cultural event.”
THE FESTIVITIES
At noon, an opening ceremony will take place, with the signing of our national anthem, “O Canada” in the presence of dignitaries and our Honorary President for 2022, Mr. Albert Allen. Mr. Allen, a resident of Deux-Montagnes for more than 40 years, is well known for his volunteering with numerous organizations over more than 30 years, including le Manoir St-Eustache, Meals on Wheels, the Lions Club and Canada Day. He continues today by offering his time as a cook for Meals on Wheels or by teaching wood carving classes.
The day will continue with many family activities: face-painting, train rides, horseshoes tournament, bingo, inflatables and a circus workshop offered by les Forains Abyssaux. New this year, a Zumba Class (presented by Sélection Retraite Deux-Montagnes) and an obstacle course race organized by Équilibre au Carré. Also, from 9:30am-4pm, the group “Véhicules Antiques des Patriotes de Saint-Eustache” will provide access to many of their vintage vehicles for fans of these fabulous machines.
Live music featuring artists from the region will be presented from 3pm to midnight. The headlining band is “Journey to the Grand Illusion”, a special tribute to Journey and Styx, not forgetting, of course, the spectacular fireworks display, presented by the City of Deux-Montagnes, which will fill the sky at 10pm.
The complete schedule is attached to this press release and can also be consulted on the Committee’s web site at www.celebrationcanada-mrcdm.ca
GENEROUS PARTNERS
“Again this year, the Caisse Desjardins of Saint-Eustache/Deux-Montagnes is happy to be a partner in Canada Day. As a cooperative, the Caisse has as its mission to contribute to the social and economic well-being of our society, and being a part of festivities in our community is another concrete example of our contribution,” underlined Mr. Neil Hawthorn, Director General of Caisse Desjardins.
Finally, we must also highlight the support from our major sponsor for the event: Tri-Tex Co. and Benoit Charette, Provincial MNA for Deux-Montagnes.
For more information, please consult www.celebrationcanada-mrcdm.ca, as well as the committee’s Facebook page (@CanadaMRCDM). If you would like to volunteer for the day, please contact Christine Neumayer at 514 827-1361.
FULL DETAILED SCHEDULE – CANADA DAY 2022
(Schedule subject to change without notice)
Friday, July 1st, 2022 : Central Park, 13th Avenue, south of Oka Road
9:30 am-4 pm
Vintage Car Show (15th Avenue)
12:00 pm
Opening Ceremony – Singing of the National Anthem, ‘’O Canada’’
Zumba, presented by Sélection Retraite Deux-Montagnes
1:30 pm-4 pm
Obstacle Course, organized by Equilibre au carré
1:30 pm
Kids Races
2:30 pm
Egg Toss (12 years old and up)
Noon – 8 pm
Municipal Pool – Free non-resident access (adults only noon to 1 pm and 6:00 pm – 6:30 pm)
MUSIC
3:00 pm-Midnight
Live Music
9:45 pm-Midnight
“Journey to the Grand Illusion” – A Tribute to Journey and Styx
10 pm
Fireworks, presented by the City of Deux-Montagnes
Please note:
For everyone’s safety, animals are not allowed on site. All food & beverages other than those sold on site are not permitted. Please encourage the event by purchasing your food and drink on site. These sales go directly towards offsetting the costs for the festivities, including the fireworks display. Please note that the streets which border Central Park will be closed as of 7:00 PM.
Photo from Press Conference – June 16 , 2022 From left to right: First row : Erik Johnson, City Councillor – District du Lac Micheline Groulx-Stabile, City Councillor – District de l’Olympia Albert Allen, Honorary President of 2022 Christine Neumayer, Member of Canada Day Committee for MRC Deux-Montagnes Denis Martin, Mayor City of Deux-Montagnes Second row : Dave Byers, Member of Canada Day Committee for MRC Deux-Montagnes Tom Whitton, President of Canada Day Committee for MRC Deux-Montagnes Brian Snell, Member of Canada Day Committee for MRC Deux-Montagnes Michel Mendes, City Councillor – District du Coteau
