Here Comes Santa! With this year's theme "Adventures of the North Pole" of the Richmond Hill Santa Claus Parade is sure to be a memorable event for everyone. The parade will begin at 1:30 p.m. at the intersection of Yonge Street and Industrial Road, proceed south on Yonge Street and conclude at Hillcrest Mall. If you want to be on Santa's good list don't forget:

• Food items for the Richmond Hill Food Bank will be collected along the parade route by representatives of The Liberal newspaper and York Regional Towing Ltd.
• Letters to Santa will be collected along the parade route by representatives of Canada Post. Kids, address your letters to:
  Santa
  North Pole, H0H 0H0
  Canada

Richmond Hill Santa Claus Parade 2011 - Frequently Asked Questions

Canada Day has a rich history, dating to July 1, 1868, when Canadians were called upon by the Governor General to celebrate the anniversary of the formation of the union of the British North American provinces (aka Canada). In 1879, the Canadian holiday called “Dominion Day” was established to commemorate this great event—with a name change to “Canada Day” in 1982. Today, Canada Day is celebrated throughout Canada with fireworks display. York Region will celebrate Canada's birthday with a dazzling display of light, colour and sound:

Vaughan

Don’t Miss the Boat!

When you Buy or Sell a house with Jasmina you will receive a Gift Certificate for 5 Day Fun-filled Cruise for 2 persons. Call Jasmina today at 905-731-2000!

Where Can We Sail?

Your Certificate will be valid for any of the following Carnival cruises:

• Miami departing every Monday going to Key West and Cozumel Mexico returning on Fridays.
• Port Canaveral departing every Sunday going to Free Port and Nassau in the Bahamas returning on Thursdays.
• Los Angeles departing every Monday going to Ensenada Mexico and Catalina Island returning on Fridays.

The 43rd annual Richmond Hill Winter Carnival will be an event filled weekend of games, entertainment and outdoor displays for the whole family. Best of all... it's free! Activities take place around Mill Pond Park (Trench and Mill Streets, just north of York Central Hospital) on Friday, February 4 from 7 to 10 p.m., Saturday, February 5 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday, February 6 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Richmond Hill Carnival 2011 Events

The 11th annual Richmond Hill Mill Pond Splash environmental eco-festival is free family-focused street party is held annually at the Mill Pond Park. The Mill Pond Park is home to a variety of plant and wildlife species and is part of a greenway system that houses native Southern Ontario trees. Toronto and Region Conservation Authority has been working for several years with Town of Richmond Hill and the Don Watershed Regeneration Council to protect and restore local habitat in the park. Join us in Richmond Hill and help celebrate the headwaters of the Don River! This is a Free Family-Focused Street Party, featuring a range of activities for the whole family.

This Year's Lineup Includes

32nd Annual Festival

Every third Saturday in September Historic Thornhill closes Yonge Street in Thornhill and community gets together to celebrate Thornhill’s history with over 150 craft booths, food vendors, demonstrators, and community group displays. Prepare yourself for two art shows, dog show, wagon rides, petting zoo, parade and more.

The Thornhill Festival Parade

filled with a variety of music bands, entertainment and community groups, begins at noon at Centre and Oakbank Road and makes its way south on Yonge Street to Arnold Avenue and Elgin Street. Yonge is closed to regular traffic for the Parade.

This annual citywide event invites the public to visit buildings that define our communities. From heritage landmarks to modern structures, up to 140 buildings open their doors. The 9th annual Doors Open Toronto features a special focus on the city's Sacred Spaces, Sacred Circles:

• Many buildings are not normally open to the public and all venues feature behind-the-scenes tours, exhibits, activities and/or talks.
• No tickets or pre-registration required - admission is free to all buildings!
• Many sites offer kid-friendly activities.
• Organizers will animate a dozen Doors Open Toronto venues with special performances.

On October 11, 2007, following the 2007 fall Ontario election campaign when Premier Dalton McGuinty was re-elected, The Government of Ontario committed to add a holiday in February to increase the number of public holidays to nine per year. Recognizing that Ontarians work very hard and deserve more time to spend with the people they love, they declared the third Monday in February Family Day.

This additional holiday gives Ontarians the same number of statutory holidays as Alberta and British Columbia. Family Day is also recognized in Alberta, Saskatchewan and several other countries across the world including South Africa and Australia.

In honour of this new holiday, many Greater Toronto Area attractions are offering special promotions including 2 for 1 admission to the CN Tower, 50% off admission at The Toronto Zoo, and more. Check out Toronto.com for more great Family Day ideas and contact me for your FREE Toronto 2008 Calendar worth over $150 in Coupons for major Toronto area attractions!

Whatever you choose to do this Family Day, I hope you enjoy your long weekend. I wish you and your family a happy and safe holiday.

There is a lot to see, taste and enjoy at the 29th annual Markham Village Music Festival and as always, entry is FREE!

• Be entertained by performers from communities including Macedonian, Caribbean, Chinese, Indian and more.
• From rock and roll to classical, from country to hip hop, you’ll find a sound to please your ears.
• Join your neighbours and come for dinner and sample cuisine from around the world.
• See and buy local and international Arts and Crafts at 74 Main Street.

Bring the kids to the Children's Village in Morgan Park

The 16th Annual Heritage Village Day

The heart of old Richmond Hill will be transformed into a festive pedestrian mall where artisans and community groups will tempt you, inform you and transform you as you enjoy arts, crafts, children's activities, horse wagon rides and delectable tasty treats. Heritage Village Day is organized by Arts Richmond Hill.

Free admission to all! Call 905-508-0789 for more information.

Yonge Street Closure

Santa seems to be everywhere this time of year. His busy schedule shows that Santa will be riding the York-Durham Heritage Railway, Greater Toronto Region's only tourist train, on trains out of Uxbridge and Stouffville.

There is entertainment on board and of course Santa will be visiting each child at their seat. Great photo opportunity - bring your camera!

Bring your children to the Hillcrest Mall for good eats and the best of company - including your jolly host, and friends from the York Region Fire Fighters, face painters, an interactive magic show, and of course Frosty and Rudolph.

The month of December is filled with many Holiday Happenings in the Hillcrest Mall. Make sure to check out their Calendar Of Events!

In addition to holidays at the national level Ontario designates the first Monday in August as a Civic Holiday. Many interesting anniversaries also occur in this decade. If you know which ones, check out List of important anniversaries on Canadian Heritage Web site.

Come one, come all to welcome Santa to Markham and experience the Wonders of Christmas. Enjoy the parade of colourful floats and over 1000 participants including bands, mascots... Santa Claus Parade in Markham is one of the biggest parades in York Region! The parade will begin at the Markham Village Community Centre, corner of Hwy 7 & Main Street Markham and travels north on Main Street Markham to end at the Markham Museum. For more information visit www.markhamsantaclausparade.com and check out Road Closure Notice.

Let the entire family will enjoy the visually stunning display as nearly 1000 native dancers and drum singing groups perform dressed in full native regalia! The Pow Wow is the center piece of the 13th annual Canadian Aboriginal Festival with visitors from all parts of Canada and around the world gathered in Toronto at the Rogers Centre (SkyDome) to witness this most beautiful traditional ceremony.

It is Canada's largest Aboriginal festival and one of Toronto's most successful festivals. It is an exciting and welcoming event for everyone! Tickets are $25 for a family day pass, $10 for adults and $5 for children. For more information visit http://www.canab.com.