Nation hails 143 years of patriot love

Fireworks shows across the country, red vuvuzelas, the Queen dressed in chiffon and a cake so big it could feed 1,000 people.

From coast to coast to coast, Canadians celebrated the nation’s 143rd birthday Thursday with an early morning 15-kilometre race, gun salutes, parades and marathon parties.

Vancouverites flocked to Canada Place, overlooking Vancouver Harbour, for an afternoon of celebrating with the Canadian Forces and Olympic athletes. The fiesta continued at the city’s second annual Canada Day parade with over 50 entries that included Irish, Celtic, and Bhangra dancers, pipe bands, marching bands and parade floats.

Residents in Edmonton kicked off the nation’s birthday bright and early with the Canada Day Road Race starting at 7 a.m. The city anticipated more than 1,500 attendees in the 15-km marathon, an annual tradition for more than 25 years.

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After more than 20 years, Edmonton resident Milton Rojas finally became a Canadian citizen Thursday.

“I have to phone my dad,” the 40-year-old soccer coach said after a citizenship ceremony on the Legislature grounds.

Saskatoon officials decided to start the city’s Canada Day festivities early with a breakfast buffet at Diefenbaker Park to keep partiers energized for the rest of the day.

In Regina, festivities started with a bang to jolt their residents awake with a 21-gun salute from the Royal Canadian Artillery’s 10th Field Regiment at Wascana Centre Authority.

Officials in Winnipeg gave residents an opportunity to look at their nation’s history by offering free admission to local museums.

Hundreds of people gathered at Queen’s Park in Toronto to applaud people from 18 different countries who became Canadian citizens.

Canada Day in Ottawa included a visit from Queen Elizabeth who was welcomed by a crowd on Parliament Hill estimated at over 70,000.

A parade shut down streets in Montreal by 11 a.m. and wrapped up at 1 p.m. with enough cake to feed up to 2,500 people at Phillips Square where live shows, concerts and a dragon dance were held.

In the Maritimes, birthday events included square dancing in Fredericton, picnics in Halifax, fishing in Charlottetown and a salmon festival in St. John’s, N.L.