Regardless of rain or clear skies, the 56th annual Labour Day Parade is coming to Cochrane’s historic downtown on Sept. 2.
The parade will kick off at 10 a.m., with pre-parade entertainment starting at 9 a.m. With limited access to the area due to early morning setup, all parade-watchers are advised to secure a spot early to find the best seats in town.
At the time of the interview with The Eagle, CAES member Marina Chabbert said that this year’s parade will host 63 different floats. This year, the Cochrane Historical and Archival Preservation Society was named as Parade Marshal for their work in preserving Cochrane’s long-standing heritage.
Although they have different criteria for floats in the parade, the biggest requirements for floats in this year’s parade are that all floats that toss candy must be walked to viewers watching from the side.
“We are one of the few parades that tosses Candy, but we cannot have them tossed up from the parade float itself, they need to be walked,” Chabbert said.
She explained that this is to keep everyone safe and prevent anyone from accidentally being hurt by the floats during the event. In addition, she outlines that there is no standing allowed on the floats, unless there is a railing or harness apparatus in place on the float.
By 8 a.m. on the event day, volunteers will be setting up barricades along the route, and will allow time for vehicles in the area to make a safe and timely exit from the area. All stray vehicles along the parade path will also be moved to the closest location from the route.
“We do try to find the owners rather than having them towed, but if we can’t, they will be just towed around the bend and that way the area is clear for the floats,” she explained.
Prior to the event, a pancake breakfast hosted by the Cochrane Activettes along 305 First St. West. The first pancake will be served at 8:30 a.m., with breakfast continuing to be served throughout the duration of the parade. In an effort to cut down on waste, the Activettes ask that all breakfast goers try to bring their own plates and utensils.
The biggest change for this year’s festivities is the introduction of a new parade route. This will see the floats head westbound on Railway Street, then north along 5th Avenue, and finally travel east along historical Main Street.
“This year, we decided not to go down on Centre Ave. like have before,” she said. “The reason for this is there’s no businesses facing centre, and it also helps open up that shopping district [which] allows people to shop there or access to those parking areas.”
With a healthy number of participants at this year’s event, including the Town of Vulcan’s Star Trek Float, Chabbert said CAES is looking forward to the event.
For those looking to help volunteer with this year’s event, Chabbert said they are still looking for extra hands to help set up barricades on parade day.
“So, if there’s some people out there that are able to help out in that respect, we would certainly appreciate it,” she said.
For more information on the parade and how to volunteer, please visit www.cochraneevents.ca/cochrane-labour-day-parade.
