Banners will line Lyndoch Street in Corunna this spring to help kick off several events in celebration of the community's historical significance, as it was once considered to be the possible site of Canada's capital.
Chair of the Corunna 200 Celebration Committee Tracy Kingston said as a member of the St. Clair Heritage Committee, she came across a survey from 1823 that specified Corunna as a possible site.
"I did the math and said, 'hey, 2023 is 200 years so why not have a celebration to mark that,'" said Kingston.
Plans for the celebration were outlined during a recent St. Clair Township council meeting.
Playing on the theme of 2023, Kingston said one of their main events will be on September 23 on Lyndoch Street. The committee plans to have local vendors, face painting, bouncy castles, and live entertainment set up for a family-fun event.
"We're going to collaborate with local businesses as well because we want them to get involved, whether they do their own contests, have promotions for something at 200 cents or have a pizza at $18.23, fun things like that," Kingston told Sarnia News Today.
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In the meantime, Kingston said they're planning to hang 36 vinyl banners with the "Corunna 200" logo on streetlight poles in April.
Hopefully, on May 23, Kingston said a dedication ceremony will be held in St. George’s Square, on Hill Street at Baird Street.
"The Heritage Committee's storyboard is going to be installed and what I'd also like to do is expand on that, make a little parkette, and bring 200 school children to sing and do the unveiling of the storyboard."
Kingston said she expects costs to add up quickly as the banners alone will cost around $5,000.
St. Clair Township is providing $25,000 through the Education and Environment Fund. However, Kingston said they will soon be looking for sponsors, who can reach out by emailing corunna200@gmail.com or visiting a soon-to-be-created Facebook page.
As it stands, the Corunna 200 Committee involves about 10 people. Kingston said eventually they will be seeking volunteers.