This year marks the 200th anniversary of when Corunna almost became the capital of Canada.
A celebration was held on Tuesday afternoon at the historic St. George's Square, at the corner of Hill and Baird Streets.
Hundreds gathered at the commemorative monument in the heart of the town, where two new storyboards were unveiled, to share the area's history and that of the former Corunna railway station.
The ten acre site, including the adjacent baseball diamonds, would have been the location of the parliament building had Corunna been chosen as the capital.
Corunna 200 Committee Chair Tracy Kingston said the support from the community has been great as they celebrate the milestone.
"I was just thrilled by the turnout," said Kingston. "You never quite know when you hold an event, who's going to come. All the dignitaries were so pleased to be here. And to have 300 or 400 children all in one group, behaving themselves, and showing off their talents was very impressive."
Kingston said there are also plans to install a tree and a bench on the site.
Students from St. Joseph's, Colonel Cameron, Sir John Moore, and the Chippewa Daycare sang songs, including O Canada in English, French and Ojibway.
St. Clair Fire Chaplain Kevin McGlade addressed the crowd.
"We've all played the 'what if' game," he said. "We all reflect on different stages of our lives and ask ourselves 'what if?'. What if I had chosen this over that or what if I had chosen right instead of left? What if I hadn't met that girl at my sisters' birthday party in 2003? I wouldn't have married her. If I stayed in Toronto to work, I wouldn't be here today making this speech. On a day like today, it's very natural to ask yourself 'what if?'. What if, in 1823, Lord Beresford had decided this was Canada's capital. I don't know what it would look like. Maybe, instead of all sitting on the street, we'd be sitting in parliament buildings here. Maybe, instead of Highway 40, we'd have an International airport. Maybe, the Corunna Giants would be competing in the World Series."
McGlade said while it's neat to think about, present-day Corunna is a gem along the St Clair River.
"We must be careful that we don't get so caught up in the 'what ifs' that we forget about the beauty that actually is," he said. "Look at this beautiful town we call Corunna.... it's a town simmering with potential and opportunity. Becoming the capital would have been a great adventure and a tremendous privilege, but I'm pretty happy that things turned out the way they did. As we dedicate this square, here's to another 200 years of not being Canada's capital but, instead, simply being Canada's Corunna."
Dignitaries including Sarnia-Lambton MPP Bob Bailey, Lambton County Warden Kevin Marriott, Aamjiwnaang Chief Chris Plain, and St. Clair Township Mayor Jeff Agar, were on hand to offer their well wishes.
MP Marilyn Gladu was not in attendance as she had a personal matter to attend to.
Another main event will be held 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.
There will also be 36 banners installed along Lyndoch Street to mark the milestone, and a scavenger hunt is planned.
According to www.corunna2023.com, in 1823, Lord William Beresford was sent from England to the present day site of Corunna to perform a survey of a heavily wooded area along the mighty St. Clair River.
This was to be a possible site for the capital of what was then Upper and Lower Canada, along with the sites of York (Toronto) and Kingston.
Sadly, Corunna did not become the capital of Canada due to its close proximity to the United States.
Kingston was initially selected as the capital in 1841, but was also considered too small and too close to the US border.
The capital was moved to Montreal in 1844, and it alternated between Quebec City and Toronto from 1849 until Ottawa was named the permanent capital by Queen Victoria.
