Mixed success for Brampton Day at Ontario Place

August 24, 2005 Held Sunday, the first annual Brampton Day at Ontario Place let hundreds of Brampton residents have fun in Toronto, while experiencing some of their own community.

Entertainment on the stage included local rock band Frayed, Cuban singing by Alexis Martinez, blues and folk from Gayle Ackroyd, Carmen Spada's smooth jazz, bhangra dancing by the Koonja and the Punjabi Virsa Art & Culture Academy, and a Brampton Theatre performance of Man of La Mancha.

Many groups and community organizations were at the event, from the Farmers' Market to the Brampton Stallions football team. Visual Arts Brampton offered kids the chance to create artwork for their Snail Mail World Postcard Art Show, while the Brampton Arts Council gave away pink sand buckets with Region of Peel water bottles. Young visitors were noticeably enthralled by Sassy the Squirrel, the City's mascot.

People who bought passes to the Brampton Day event through the City were encouraged to wear blue wrist bands around the park, for a chance to get spotted and win a prize. A draw was held for prizes including green fees for four at the Peel Village Golf Course, Heritage Theatre tickets, and restaurant gift certificates.

Festival Square's proximity to Lake Ontario caused its share of trouble, particularly for the arts groups displaying in the south. Tents were blown on their sides, becoming veritable wind sails. Luckily no guests or volunteers were injured by the mishaps. One painting infused with a sculpture, at the Beaux-Arts Brampton tent, was destroyed early in the day after catching a gust of wind.

Average windspeed for the Toronto Island Airport area is 12 km/h.