Losing Myself in the Festival Atmosphere

Last evening I was in Mattawa getting our campsite, on our property there, ready for Voyager Days Weekend. The festivities got underway last night with a free concert from local talent and a children’s’ fishing derby.

This evening could not have been more perfect. With the temperature hovering above 30◦ Celsius and warm breeze making the heat bearable, the evening was right for festivals. Children at the fishing derby had their faces covered in ice cream and excitement as they received their prizes for participating in the event. Is there anything more Canadian than kids, fishing and ice cream cones being served from the back of a half-ton truck? It’s hard to know what was producing more heat on this hot summer evening, the heat from the setting sun or the heat radiating from everyone’s glowing smiles.

Last fall my wife and I bought property in this town of 2200 people with a plan the move here was we retire. Mattawa means "Meeting of the Waters" in Ojibwa and its natural beauty is striking. Nestled in the Laurentian Valley at the confluence of the Mattawa and Ottawa Rivers, there is water and tree covered mountains just about everywhere you look. It is truly and special place in the summer.

At the festival grounds, musicians began to entertain the locals. Although the crowd was small on this evening, it was festive and appreciative. This was the town’s night to relax and be entertained before the thousands of visitors arrive. On Explorer’s Point, where in 1615 Etienne Brulé and Samuel de Champlain were the first Europeans to pass through this area, one of Ontario’s top 10 summer festivals was underway.

This is the first time I will attend the communities “biggest weekend” of the year with 15,000 people expected to attend. Its Main Street will be bustling as new visitors and former residents meet to chat or simply share a smile. Despite the town’s population growing tenfold, I’m anticipating a wonderful weekend. Small towns are at their best when they entertain visitors and there is no doubt that Mattawa will be a spectacular host this weekend. Even though I have only been a part-time resident of this little town for about eight months, I’m brimming with civic pride and looking forward to losing myself in the festival atmosphere for the next three days.