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Third annual Celebrate Your Awesome postponed

April 9, 2020   ·   0 Comments

By Mike Baker

Orangeville is going to be a little less awesome this summer as yet another popular summer event falls victim to the coronavirus pandemic. 

The third annual Celebrate Your Awesome, originally scheduled for June 27, has been postponed indefinitely. The party, which for the past two years has completely taken over Mill St. in Orangeville, is recognized as the region’s premiere celebration of pride and diversity. 

In a release to media, organizers admitted that the decision to postpone was done with “heavy hearts”, but there was no other alternative due to the gravity, and recent escalation, of the COVID-19 crisis in Canada. As of Tuesday evening (April 7), there are 17,897 cases of coronavirus across the country, with 4,347 in Ontario. 

“The health and well-being of our community is our number one concern, and we all must be focused on overcoming this unprecedented global health crisis,” organizers stated in their release. “We have a responsibility to be focused on our families, remaining in self-isolation and adhering to the advice that is given to us daily by our nation’s medical experts.” 

The event was launched in 2018 by Jim Waddington and Lisa Post, now an Orangeville councillor. Other notable individuals involved in the event in recent years include local artist Ricky Schaede, former Dufferin County Museum and Archives curator Wayne Townsend, Orangeville Police Service Cst. Scott Davis and Orangeville Business Improvement Area Chair Joe Sammut.

Speaking to the Citizen ahead of the inaugural event, Ms. Post said it was time for the community to play host to an event that was a little different, and openly encouraged inclusivity for all local residents.

“The dynamics of our community have changed, so we want to make sure we’re doing something that is inclusive of everybody regardless of race, sexual orientation or culture,” Ms. Post said. “We want to create a fun environment and a safe place where people can feel comfortable in their own skin.”

More than 2,000 individuals have attended the day-long event in each of the past two years. 

If there is a hint of a silver lining – it is that organizers have been very specific in making the decision to postpone, rather than cancel the event. While it’s impossible to know what the future holds as COVID-19 continues to plague the province, there is a hope that Celebrate Your Awesome will, in fact, take place in 2020. 

“For now, we press pause. Stay safe, stay healthy and stay at home and stay tuned in to our social media platforms for any ongoing news and activity. While you wait for us, keep celebrating all of the things that make each of you awesome – we can’t wait to see you all soon,” organizers say.

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