Lighthouse stars in Port Burwell Canada Day celebration

Marking the 175th anniversary of the Port Burwell lighthouse was a big part of the Canada Day festivities in the lakeside village on Wednesday, July 1. The structure is the oldest wooden lighthouse on the north shore of Lake Erie. The annual Canada Day parade in Port Burwell made a special stop in front of the lighthouse at noon for a declaration by Elgin County Crier David Phillips, the singing of Happy Birthday by Port Burwell Public School Grade 6 pupil Sarah Banman and comments by Leroy Eicher, the Amish craftsman who carried out the restoration of structure in 1986. Port Burwell theatre personality Jeff Rogers served as the master of ceremonies and was dressed in period costume as Colonel Mahlon Burwell, the founder of the village. Four Harvard training aircraft from the 1940s did a flyby of the lighthouse during the ceremony. After the parade, local dignitaries addressed the large crowd from the gazebo across from the Cenotaph while the Canadian flag was being raised. O Canada was then sung, led by Ms. Banman, to end the ceremony and children were treated to Canada Day-decorated cupcakes and a barbecue lunch. The festivities continued into the afternoon with children’s activities and live music at the Marine Museum parking lot.