Coaldale’s Candy Parade will take place on Saturday, August 12, and depart from R.I. Baker School heading east down 22nd Avenue at 11:00am.
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On Saturday, August 12, Canadian Country Music Hall of Famer Ron Sakamoto will lead Coaldale’s historic Candy Parade as part of the Town’s annual Summer Fest celebration.
Ron is perhaps best known for his concert firm, Gold & Gold Productions Ltd., which boasts a 56-year long concert portfolio that includes tours and shows from the likes of Johnny Cash, Conway Twitty, Roy Orbison, Gordon Lightfoot, Merle Haggard, Kenny Rogers, Dwight Yoakam, Randy Travis, Alabama, George Strait, Garth Brooks, Shania Twain, Johnny Reid, and many, many more. Ron is also well known for having had a significant impact on the growth and development of the Canadian music industry. In 2014, he was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Award Hall of Fame. More recently, he was honoured at the 52nd Annual Juno Awards where he received the prestigious Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award.
Less known, however, is that Ron was born in Coaldale and spent his first years on a farm just outside of Town. “A lot of people don’t realize that despite residing in Lethbridge, Ron was actually born in Coaldale and for the first few years of his life, lived on a farm just outside of Town”, said Town of Coaldale Mayor Jack Van Rijn. “So, to shine a light on his connection to the community, we’re thrilled to name him honorary parade marshal for the Town’s annual Summer Fest Candy Parade, as well as to have him participate in some of this year’s festivities.”
Coaldale Summer Fest will kick off on the evening of Friday, August 11, with a movie in Millennium Park behind the Coaldale Sportsplex. Coaldale Town Council will be serving free pizza and Deez Eats food cart will be on site around 7:00pm to serve popcorn, hot dogs, and pop during the movie. The movie will start sometime between 8:30 and 9:00pm.
Festivities will then continue into Saturday, August 12, beginning with a Knights of Columbus pancake breakfast fundraiser and Coaldale’s Candy Parade, which will depart from R.I. Baker School heading east down 22nd Avenue at 11:00am. To pay homage to his agricultural roots, Ron will ride in a vintage horse and carriage provided by Phil and Marilyn Still during the parade. Following the parade, Ron will join a panel of judges to help decide a winner of the Town's inaugural Battle of the Bands, set to take place at 2:00pm at the ATCO stage. At 8:00pm, regional favourite, The Chevelles, will take the stage. Finally, the same fireworks team as last year will return to Coaldale to end the day, putting on a fantastic display of fireworks with choreographed music for the entire community.
For more information about Summer Fest 2023, “Salute to Agriculture”, including a full list of activities and their locations, please visit: https://www.coaldalesummerfest.ca/.