A two-day celebration of arts, culture and heritage happens this weekend

To celebrate Ontario's 150th anniversary, the Sault Community Career Centre, the Downtown Association and the province have joined forces to host a free two-day community event this Friday and Saturday. The Heritage Block Party will showcase local vendors and artisans as well as live theatre and musical performances and a variety of cultural presentations.

Festivities begin Friday at 3:30 p.m. with an opening ceremony at the Ermatinger-Clergue National Historic Site. Heritage Block Party street activities, which highlight arts and culture, will run from 4 to 8 p.m. on Queen Street between Pim and East Streets. This section of Queen Street will be closed to traffic beginning at 2 p.m. in order to facilitate the event.

The Sault Ste. Marie Museum will stay open late to host a special exhibit on behalf of the festivities, and will be offering free admission to the public.

Saturday, the Heritage Block Party will focus on diversity and innovation with a Culture Days Picnic and the creation of a community mural at Clergue Park led by multidisciplinary artist Rihkee Strapp from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. From 6:30 to 8 p.m., the NORDIK Institute will host a Young Leaders Forum at the Grand Theatre (641 Queen St. E.). The forum will explore the past, present and future guided by the theme, ‘Unwritten Stories: Youth leaders gather to help create the Indigenous narrative for the next 150 years’. A screening of the documentary Painted Land: In Search of the Group of Seven will follow at 9 p.m.

All Heritage Block Party events and activities are open to the public and free to attend. For more information about this celebration, please click here.