Rayside-Balfour Heritage Days festival is back in Greater Sudbury
The annual three-day Rayside-Balfour Heritage Days festival has resumed in-person events after two years due to COVID-19.
It began Thursday with demonstrations from Greater Sudbury emergency services at Whitewater Park, followed by live music and fireworks.
Friday night a concert was held at the Chelmsford Arena.
The final day's festivities on Saturday began with a parade that went through the community of Chelmsford, with dozens of people lining the streets.
People in attendance told CTV News that their favourite part of the parade were the old cars.
"I’m having a lot of fun and the old cars was there best part," said one individual watching the parade.
"The sunshine, the fun, the old cars, the new cars, it’s really, really fun," said another.
Once the parade wrapped up, people gathered at a nearby park where they enjoyed outdoor activities, demonstrations by Greater Sudbury Fire Services, a car show, as well as more live music.
Greater Sudbury Fire Services performs demonstrations during the Rayside-Balfour Heritage Days festival. June 11/22 (Molly Frommer/CTV Northern Ontario)
"We have Chansons a Répondre. We have Celtic/Folk/East Coast, Country/Blue Grass, and Rock and Roll," said Gary Mishak, a festival organizer.
"In each of those camps, we have three or four professional artists but we’re inviting artists from all over northeastern Ontario to come in and join them with instruments, sing along, or dance to be part of the experience."
Live music at Rayside-Balfour Heritage Days festival. June 11/22 (Molly Frommer/CTV Northern Ontario)
Throughout the day, organizers estimate roughly 1,000 people came out to enjoy the festivities.
CTV News spoke to some people in attendance who said they’ve been attending the event every year since they were children.
"I’ve been coming here since I was maybe two or three years old. I came out today just to see the kids have fun. It brings back old childhood memories, back in the day when we had western days,” said one attendee.
"My favourite part of being out here is seeing the parade and seeing how the community is coming back together after COVID and everybody getting outside in the fresh air,” said another.
The festival ends Saturday night with another concert at the Edgar Leclair Centre in Azilda.
Organizers said the planning for next year’s event is already underway.
Find more fun things to do in Sudbury with the CTV News Community Calendar.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
Lack of detention space could force CBSA to release detainees, internal memo warns
The Canada Border Security Agency is scrambling to find space to hold high-risk detainees that are set to be transferred from provincial jails in June.
BREAKING Allman Brothers Band co-founder and legendary guitarist Dickey Betts dies at 80
Guitar legend Dickey Betts, who co-founded the Allman Brothers Band and wrote their biggest hit, 'Ramblin' Man,' has died. He was 80.
Police make arrests in grandparent scam that defrauded victims out of $739K
Ontario Provincial Police say they have 'disrupted' an organized crime group that allegedly used an emergency grandparent scam to defraud seniors across Canada out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Motion to allow keffiyehs at Ontario legislature fails
A motion to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh within Queen’s Park failed to receive unanimous consent Thursday just moments after Ontario Premier Doug Ford reiterated his view that prohibiting the garment in the House is divisive.
What does it mean to be 'house poor' and how can you avoid it?
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
BREAKING American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Calgary man charged with manslaughter in death of toddler
Calgary police say Winston Campbell, 45, has been charged in the death of a two-year-old girl in 2022.
B.C. child killer's lawyer walks out of review hearing
The lawyer representing child-killer Allan Schoenborn walked out of his client's annual review hearing Wednesday – abruptly ending proceedings marked by tense exchanges and several outbursts.