Tay Township celebrates bicentennial anniversary with early Canada Day festivities

It's a day of fun in Tay Township Saturday as the community is marking a few milestones with one major celebration.

For the 15th year, the town is having its Canada Day celebrations a week ahead of schedule. On tap throughout the weekend include a parade, artisan vendors, exotic animals and free tasty treats.

"We decided to do it on the weekend before Canada Day so that all of our community residents could come out and enjoy the day without ruining their actual long weekend," Murray Moore, the chair of the celebrations, said with a laugh. "And the other communities like Midland, Barrie, Orillia, they have a very large Canada Day celebration. So for us being smaller than they are, we wanted to be able to have the entertainment we needed."

The event is also celebrating the 200th anniversary of the township. In 1822 it was named after a family pet of the then Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada, according to a news release.

For this first time, a car show was included as part of the festivities, which organizers hope to continue in the years to come.

"For a small community, we put on a good show," says Moore. "We don't charge a lot for the bands; it's very inexpensive to give back to our residents."