Scout House Parades Across Southern Ontario Throughout June

Scout House Band, of Cambridge, will be marching every weekend in June and beyond in some of the largest festival parades in southern Ontario starting with the Streetsville Bread and Honey Festival Parade on June 7. Other appearances include the Burlington Sound of Music Festival Parade on June 14; the Welland Festival of Roses Parade June 22, Preston’s big July 1 Canada Day parade, the largest event of its kind in the country and the Lions Club International Convention Parade in downtown Toronto July 5.

Scout House Cadets, expanded from a drumline by the addition of a brass section over the past winter, will be marching for the first time as a drum and bugle corps in the Ancaster Heritage Days parade on June 14, followed by the first home town parade in Preston on July 1.

Earlier this year, Scout House Band kicked off the 2014 parade season at the head of the Woodstock Victoria Day Parade, marching through town on under a bright sun with moderate temperature. Scout House first marched in the Woodstock parade in the mid-1950s. Over the years, weather conditions have ranged from snowstorms, to torrential rain, to extremely high heat and humidity.

The Streetsville Bread and Honey festival, recalling the village’s rich agricultural heritage, originated in 1973 and became an annual event to honour the village becoming part of the city of Mississauga. The original village grew up around the many flour mills that operated on the Credit River. Many apiaries also flourished locally in the area in those days. Combining the two activities produced the festival theme. This year’s festival honours Mississauga mayor Hazel McCallion, whose political career began in Streetsville in the 1970s. She is due to retire this year after four decades in public service.

Ancaster Heritage Days originated in 1979 when two local women planned a festival so community residents could get to know each other better and enjoy the sights and sounds of their town, now part of the city of Hamilton. One of the early highlights was the Heritage Days parade, featuring antique and horse drawn carriages, police paddy wagons, bands and other performers from the area. Annual crowd favourites include a strawberry social, antique car show, and sidewalk sale.

The Burlington Sound of Music Festival is Canada’s largest free festival, featuring live music at several stages on the Lake Ontario waterfront and throughout the downtown business district. Scout House Band won the best band award in the 2013 festival parade. The festival line-up features a blend of new and emerging artists, Canadian icons and favourites of the past including Tom Cochrane, Matt Dusk, Cowboy Junkies, Ronnie Hawkins, Leahy, Michael Burgess, Finger Eleven, Molly Johnson, Bedouin Soundclash, Carly Rae Jepsen, Arkells, Walk Off The Earth and Treble Charger.

The 53rd Annual Welland Rose Festival continues the group’s mandate to cultivate community spirit and involvement by building bridges between community groups through traditional events such as juried art show, Rose Queen coronation, Grande Parade, and Days in the Park, this year marking the 60th anniversary of Memorial Park. Days in the Park weekend will include a car and bike show, baby show, hands on art and sports, baseball and a community picnic.

Preston’s big Canada Day parade is one of the events in the Cambridge Celebrates Canada Day program centred around Riverside Park on the banks of the Speed River next to the downtown area. The July 1 parade begins next to the Scout House building that was home to the original Scout House Band and is the current rehearsal base for Scout House Cadets and ends a mile away across town in Riverside Park, where the first Scout House Band performance took place in June, 1939. Scout House won the best band award in the 2013 Preston Canada Day parade.

The 97th annual Lions Club International (LCI) Annual International Convention takes place in Toronto from July 4 to 8, including the culturally diverse International Parade of Nations through the heart of the city along with seminars, plenary sessions and the election of LCI’s 2014-2015 International President. LCI is the world’s largest service club organization with more than 46,000 clubs and 1.35 million members who undertake projects to help their local communities. A prominent project is helping children who need eyeglasses.

Since Scout House Band’s first appearance at the Great Alliance of Seniors (GAS) reunion weekend in Mississauga in 1999, Scout House has performed more than 425 concerts, street parades and field shows in Ontario, Quebec and 10 American states: Michigan, West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland and Florida.

Scout House now includes about 100 marching members from more than 20 communities across southern Ontario who had previously been associated with more than 75 marching music organizations. The Scout House family also includes the Scout Houses Cadets drum and bugle corps for boys and girls from age 12 to 18, established to help mark the group’s 75th anniversary since starting as a Boy Scout bugle band in 1938.

Scout House Cadets, named for the Band’s original feeder group, began activity as a drum line in September 2012, adding a brass section in September 2013 to become a full drum and bugle corps. No prior music experience is required to join the Cadets. Scout House also welcomes new marching members at any time of year and volunteers to help with various support activities.

For more information about Scout House Band, contact Activities Director Nancy Weiler at telephone (519) 653-3376, email prestonscouthouseband [dot] adm [at] sympatico [dot] ca or visit the Web site at http://www.scouthouseband.com/