Sizzling Canada Day full of fun and cake

GRAVENHURST — O Canada what a scorcher of a day.

If you liked it HOT! — and plenty did — July 1 was your day.

The temperature topped at 37 — but with the humidity it was well over 40.

And Canadians celebrated in Gravenhurst Sunday like it was the middle of winter on an ice rink.

Luckily, everyone dressed for the heat and drank lots of water.

And ate lots of cake.

Here’s a snapshot of a couple of events, starting at Bethune House, where a stead stream of Chinese-Canadian celebrants converged on the National Historic Site at its 10 a.m. opening.

They came to eat cake, get tattoos and relish in the history of one of Canada’s greatest humanitarians.

Across town, at Gull Lake Rotary Park, the Town of Gravenhurst threw a big party.

Firefighters ran kids through an obstacle course — just like the firefighters do — carrying hoses, ladders and crawling through a tent-tunnel to show how to plan an escape route in their home.

There was a petting zoo from Barkway, free barbecue hotdogs and drinks — and of course a two large maple leaf cakes.

Down at the waterfront, it was the busiest day of the summer.

And Gull Lake was teeming with swimmers and the beach had several tents to provide shade.

All under the watchful guise of lifeguards.

On the Barge, there were three concerts.

The first was a sizzling performance by the Bifocals Band at 2 p.m. They’re a tradition on the opening weekend of the Barge season.

At 4 p.m. the Orillia Silver Band finally took the stage, after being rained out three consecutive past summers.

And at night, at 7 p.m., with the thermostat still reading 33, it was Little White Lies, a top-100 cover band.

Here are some images from the day.