Special Article – New and Improved…
Hershey Chocolate has now left town and the festival has a new name, but the spirit and tradition lives on! Smiths Falls has always known how to throw a great party and the “new and improved” Canal, Railway & Chocolate Festival is no exception! Festival co-chairs, Jim MacPherson and Dawn, Quinn and their committee have worked hard this past year to make this the best event ever! The weekend promises to be jammed packed with shows and activities for the whole family!

The “Festival Gates” open at 4:00pm on Friday, July 17th. Opening ceremonies take place at 6:00pm with Smiths Falls Mayor, Denis Staples and Jim Brownell MPP, assistant Minister of Tourism, officiating. At 7:00pm the entertainment begins on the main stage with “Bytown Bluegrass”, followed by “Light Up th Night”, “Doherty Brothers”, Bytown Bluegrass” again and then the grand finale, “Fire Weavers”. Other activities and attractions include a Crafters Show and Sale, the Homeniuk Midway and back again, the Algonquin First Nations Cultural Circle Camp on Turtle Island. If you think Friday night is exciting, wait until you hear more about the rest of the weekend! I’ll fill you in on a later Blog. In the meantime, if you can’t wait, check out their new website at http://www.canalrailwayfest.com.