Home Sooke LOCAL Fireworks at Sooke Canada Day

Fireworks at Sooke Canada Day

Fireworks at dusk over the Sooke River

fireworks, canada day
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Sunday, June 30, 2019 ~ SOOKE

~ Mary P Brooke ~ West Shore Voice News  

Every year on July 1 people come from around the Sooke region and beyond to take part in Sooke Canada Day.

Elected officials start off the official part of the day around 11:30 am with a bagpipes parade and speeches on stage.

This year there will be a commemoration of Councillor Brenda Parkinson who passed away this week (separate article on this, to come).

Canada Day, Sooke, 2015
Canada Day at Sooke Flats in 2015 [West Shore Voice News file photo]

The loudest attraction each year are the fireworks at dusk, after a day of family fun on the field in the sun.

“We are launching at the same location we did a few years ago,” says Fire Chief Kenn Mount. That’s alongside the Sooke River. People often watch from the Sooke River Bridge as well as from within Sooke Flats.

Last year the firing location was moved for safety reasons with respect to fall out from embers and misfiring, Chief Mount explained.

In 2015, fireworks for Canada Day were cancelled due to drought conditions and the dry forest floor as a result. They were held at Hallowe’en that year instead, in John Phillips Memorial Park near the District of Sooke municipal hall and Fire Station #1.

It takes expertise and person-power to do a good fireworks display. The services of firefighters are utilized.

fireworks, Halloween, Sooke, 2015
Fireworks were held at Halloween in 2015, due to dry forest conditions on Canada Day that year [West Shore Voice News file photo]

“There is about a dozen of us that have done our prep planning already and will begin setup tomorrow,” says Mount. “This year we are using an electronic ignition firing system with a control board to support the launch. That’s part of newer safety requirements.”

As well, more members of the Sooke Fire Rescue crew will be on a fire watch. “We remind spectators to stay away from the launch site and be aware of wildlife being spooked,” he adds.