NEWS RELEASE
TOWN OF COCHRANE
*************************
The kickoff event for the grand finale weekend of Ontario’s Oldest Winter Carnival, the Cochrane Winter Carnival.
The Winter Festival started last Friday and runs 10 days (Feb. 9 to 19). On Thursday, Feb. 15 the Fabled Torch Light Parade kicks off the Grand Finally Weekend which will see two walking parades start at each end of the community at dusk.
Everyone will be provided a live (real flame) torch by the local fire department and will carry this torch high and proud along the parade procession. Everyone will end up on Lake Commando in the centre of town where a massive bonfire where they will toss their torch into the fire.
The bonfire is made up of last Christmas’s discarded trees. Here’s a link to get a sense of how spectacular this is!
Everyone will enjoy the Grand Finally opening ceremonies which includes hot chocolate, hot dogs, gifts, and an impressive fireworks display.
This year will mark the first with the new Commando Lake Pavilion that ushers in the next generation of the Festival with the most modern amenities available.
Carnival Chair, Darryl Owens remembers the Torch Light parade when he was a child and revels in how it remains a staple of the Carnival, “This parade has been around since I was a child and every year it amazes me at how much the community embraces the tradition and its allure. It doesn't matter how cold it is when you’re standing next to a garage sized bon fire with hundreds of your friends.”
Mayor Peter Politis says, “This is a real unique northern spectacle – One of 'bucket list' quality. Where else would you find the general public carrying live flames through the streets to a municipal run massive bon fire, but in northern Ontario? How great of a kickoff is it when we can come together as an entire community like this and so boldly express how proud we are to have the greatest way of life in the best backyard on the planet?”
Owens and Politis both say, “This event is truly something one should experience at least once in their lives. It is the ultimate rallying call that energizes everyone for the Grand Finally experience”.
Had enough of a long cold winter? Want to unwind and celebrate a little to break the trend? Want to experience life as a Northerner? Join Cochrane and the entire region at Ontario’s Oldest Winter Carnival, the Cochrane Winter Carnival.
*************************