Fun Things to do on Canada Day and the weekend that follows

Now that Prince Edward Island's COVID-19 restrictions have eased up, and the province is slowly opening up to other Atlantic provinces, it's time for Prince Edward Islanders to enjoy the summer safely.

Here are some interesting things to do on Canada Day, and the weekend that follows it, which is an extra-long one for Islanders able to take Friday off from their labours.

Remember:Please wear a mask when required and follow the Chief Public Health Office's COVID-19 guidelines indoors and outdoors.

Canada Day with a difference

Of course, this is a more sombre Canada Day than usual given the recent discoveries of unmarked graves at sites of former residential schools, and some P.E.I. municipalities are altering, adding to, or scaling back on events. As well, many Canadians are planning to wear orange instead of red to represent their recognition of why this year is different for Indigenous people and those who share their pain.

In Cornwall, there will be a healing ceremony with drumming and smudging, involvingP.E.I. poet laureate and author Julie Pellisier-Lush, at the Circle of Peace in the Terry Fox Centre. Cornwall town councillorElaine Barnessaid having healing ceremonies this Canada Day is a small but important step towards reconciliation.

Lennox Island First Nation is planning to mark July 1 as Resiliency Day with events starting at 10 a.m. And Abegweit Chief Junior Gould is calling for "drummers, dancers, elders, survivors, descendants and all orange shirt wearers to join me in singing the Mi'kmaq Honour Song as our flag is raised to half mast" at the Charlottetown Event Grounds at 10 a.m.

Some more traditional Canada Day events can be found in online listings posted by the municipalities involved. A clickablesampling:

• Charlottetown
• Summerside
• Three Rivers
• Souris

Three Rivers Summer Festival Series

Diving deeper into one community's events, the Three Rivers Summer Festival Series kicks off today,with a music celebration at the Cardigan Village Green Tennis Courts. Also, there are prizes to be won for those who can fill up a Canada Day passport. The Three Rivers Canada Day passport is an itinerary sheet which wants you to to partake in a Canada Day Scavenger Hunt at Roma at the Three Rivers Historical site in Brudenell, pick up a Canada Day treat at the Garden of the Gulf Museum in Montague, and visit the new Artisans on the Waterfront in Montague and the Kings Playhouse in Georgetown.

Music at the Guild Summer Festival

Events for the Guild Summer Festival began last week and runs till August 27. This Saturday, PEI based singer-songwriter Alicia Toner is performing a concert at the Guild, by 7 p.m. She released her album, Joan, last month. Toner is also a talentedactor whoperformed at the Confederation Centre of the Arts for seven seasons. She won the SOCAN songwriter of the year award in 2017.

Camping at the Cavendish Campgrounds

The P.E.I. National Park will increase the number of campgrounds available at Cavendish to 210, effective July 1. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, only 126 campgrounds were available since the reopening of the campgrounds on June 8. A new addition to the campground this year are bunkies. They are small accommodations for visitors who want to spend the night on campgrounds. "They're meant for two people, but they can accommodate up to four, depending on if you have some more people coming to visit you," said Joel McKinnon with the P.E.I. National Park.

DiverseCity Festival

The annual multicultural festival began last Sunday with street events and stalls in downtown Charlottetown. This Sunday, music and dance from multicultural entertainers in P.E.I. will be featured at the Evangeline Area Agricultural Exhibition and Acadian Festival in Abram-Village, from 4 to 7 p.m.

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