Hay River has been through a lot in the last few years, having suffered through disastrous flooding and wildfires since the Covid-19 pandemic began.
That makes occasions like Canada Day all the more important for the community.
"It's almost surreal," said Jill Morse, the town's tourism director, and one of the organizers of Hay River's annual Canada Day festivities. "This is the first summer in a while that we haven't been walking on eggshells. It's a really, really good feeling to just be able to stride forward without worry."
Despite being busy with planning for Hay River's recent Indigenous Peoples Day celebrations, and the coming Hay Days festival, Morse and her team have plenty lined up for Canada Day.
Festivities will kick off with a parade — a staple of Canada Day celebrations in the community.
Residents who registered to participate in the parade will meet on the local service road between the Shell and Esso gas stations around 11 a.m., and the parade is scheduled to get rolling at 11:30 a.m. It will follow its usual route, Morse said, and conclude as it always does in the NorthMart parking lot.
After that, participants in the festivities will head "straight to the flag raising in front of the fire hall," and then on to parking lot of the recreation centre for some live music from Five Thirds Mad, who is set to play from noon till 3 p.m.
"They've even got more new music now, so they're going be really good to see," Morse said.
There will also be a barbecue in the parking lot, with hundreds of free hot dogs and burgers available — including 200 homemade burgers from the Chicot family.
"The Chicot family, in commemoration of their son Tarek, who passed last year, they want to thank Hay River and the residents for being there to support them during that time," said Morse.
"It's just heartwarming and wonderful," she added. "Tarek was like family to our community, and we love that we will have the opportunity to celebrate Canada Day in reflection of what Tarek meant to his friends and family."
Another highlight of the afternoon is sure to be the dunk tank that Morse and her team procured.
"It's not a dangerous one. It's just the kind where you sit in the lawn chair and the bucket pours over your head, but I think that's going to be super fun," she said. "We're going to open it up to family members to dunk their husbands and wives and their moms and dads.
"We've got all kinds of other family games planned as well," she added. "And it's supposed to be super hot, so we're going to have the sprinklers going. The kids can bring their swimsuits and towels."
Morse will be busy throughout the day, making sure things happen according to plan, and she's excited to enjoy the festivities herself, particularly after everything the community has been through in recent years.
"I'm just most looking forward to the unity," she said. "I love how it just brings everybody from every corner of Hay River together."