Canadian Forces Military Display

CANADIAN FORCES ARE PROUD TO BE PART OF THE 2008 MasterCard MEMORIAL CUP
The MasterCard Memorial Cup will celebrate 90 years of major junior hockey excellence in Kitchener May 16 - 26th. With an impressive display of current and historic Canadian military vehicles…along with a world class fireworks display there will be something for everyone.
Hockey fans will be able to get up close and personal with such military vehicles as a 2.5-ton Gun Tractor and a 10-ton Wrecker, as well as a Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat, a state-of-the-art Recruiting Trailer and an army howitzer.“There will be plenty to see and do at the Canadian Forces exhibit”, says Captain Scott Costen, spokesman for 31 Canadian Brigade Group. “Some of our biggest and best vehicles will be on display, as well as one of the army’s largest weapon systems.”

Canadian Forces Military Display
The Canadian Forces Military Display will be located within Toyota Fan Fest at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium (Military Road area off East Avenue) throughout the entire Memorial Cup Championship. Juno The Bear – the Army’s official Mascot, will also be on hand to meet the public and hand out souvenirs. Members of the public will get a chance to meet CF members, learn more about careers in the military, and see some of their latest vehicles and equipment.
They will also have an opportunity to tour the local armoury, and enjoy a military band performance.
Most importantly, Memorial Cup attendees will have a chance to join today’s CF members in honouring the heroism and sacrifice of our veterans.

History of the Memorial Cup
The Canadian Forces Military Display will support the Memorial Cup, which was donated by the Ontario Hockey Association in 1919 as a memorial and honour of the Canadians who fought and died in the First World War. The Memorial Cup and its message of remembrance are as relevant today as they were nine decades ago.
With the service and sacrifice of Canadian Forces (CF) members in Afghanistan, the connection between earlier generations of war veterans and current military personnel has grown stronger. This connection is revealed in many ways, including increased military participation at the Memorial Cup, and renewed emphasis on the origins of junior hockey’s national championship trophy. CF members will be active participants in this year’s Memorial Cup festivities. Our men and women in uniform will transport the Memorial Cup championship trophy to Kitchener and proudly escort it throughout the event.

Canadian Armed Forces Marching Band and World Class Fireworks
When: Saturday, May 17th, 2008 at 9 p.m.
Where: Centennial Stadium (adjacent to the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium)
..............400 East Avenue, Kitchener, ON
Cost: FREE

A Canadian Armed Forces Marching Band will also provide entertainment on Saturday May 17th when Centennial Stadium (adjacent to to Kitchener Memorial Auditorium) plays host to a world-class Fireworks Display.The Fireworks Display will be produced by Whysall Fireworks of Ariss, who recently won an International Fireworks Competition in Vietnam and is also responsible for producing the annual Canada Day fireworks display at the University of Waterloo.The Fireworks Display will begin at dusk, and is open to everyone and admission is free. Be sure to come early and enjoy this spectacular evening.

Thursday's Arrival Parade and Ceremonies
The Memorial Cup – to be presented to the winner of the 2008 MasterCard Memorial Cup Championship - officially arrived in Kitchener on Thursday May 15th. To celebrate the Cup’s arrival, the community was invited to attend a special ceremony planned at Civic Square at Kitchener City Hall b at 11:30 am. The Cup was delivered to City Hall by the Canadian Armed Forces in an Armoured Personnel Carrier as part of a Military Procession that featured approximately 100 Veterans and a Colour Guard.
The President of the Canadian Hockey League and Commissioner of the Ontario Hockey League – David Branch - will formally presented the Memorial Cup to Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr during a ceremony that will also included the Honourable Greg Thompson, Federal Minister of Veterans Affairs as well as Steve Bienkowski and John Thompson – the Chair and General Manager respectively, of the 2008 MasterCard Memorial Cup Host Committee.
“It is certainly an honour for the City of Kitchener to welcome the Memorial Cup and to host one of the nation’s most prestigious junior hockey tournaments,” said Mayor Zehr. “We take great pride in celebrating the cup’s arrival and we wish the Kitchener Rangers all the best as they compete to keep it right here at home.”
Following the presentation, the public was invited to view the Memorial Cup, meet members of the Kitchener Rangers Hockey Team, and enjoy a community BBQ complete with a Memorial Cup cake and entertainment provided by the Twin City Harmonizers and Shane Guse.

Prince Andrew in Cambridge

--------

Silent March

Saturday, May 5th

10:45 am

Armoury - Ainslie Street

to Cambridge Place

Cambridge, ON

Prince Andrew's visit in May will be marked publicly by all the pomp and ceremony of one of the military's most time honoured traditions.
About 140 members of the Royal Highland Fusiliers will parade from the armoury to Cambridge Place in silence for a ceremony known as the granting of the Freedom of the City.
The event, which will start at around 10:30 a.m., will be the only public appearance by the Duke of York during his two day visit to Cambridge and Kitchener on May 4 and 5.
"We chose to do this because we certainly want to include the city of Cambridge in the visit," said Rick Peters, commanding officer of the Fusiliers. "This will bring in the civic aspect and the Duke will also have a chance to interact privately with the troops on two occasions."
The primary purpose of Prince Andrew's visit, which has been in the works for about a year, is to meet with the troops and observe some of the regiment's activities, he said.
Andrew, the Duke of York, officially became the Colonel-in-chief of the Highland Fusiliers, the Toronto-based Queen's York Rangers and Halifax's Princess Louise Fusiliers in 2005.
"He's very well informed on Canadian military matters," Peters said of the prince, who served in the Royal Navy for 22 years as a helicopter pilot. "It's going to be a real thrill for everyone to meet him."

Prince Andrew's motorcade will arrive at Cambridge Place as members of the Royal Highland Fusiliers start their silent march from the armoury up Ainslie Street at 10:45 a.m.
For those eager to get a first-hand look at the prince and the Freedom of the City ceremony, bleachers will be set up in the Water Street parking lot across from Cambridge Place, said Maj. Paul Pickering of the Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada.
Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, will watch as the Fusiliers are granted Freedom of the City by Cambridge Mayor Doug Craig and members of city council.
He'll then meet with about 30 Second World War veterans from the Fusiliers' predecessor unit -- the Highland Light Infantry.
The Fusiliers will continue their parade, complete with the pipe and drums band playing and flags flying, from Park Hill Road East across the river and down Grand Avenue, Pickering said. They'll then cross the Main Street bridge before returning to the armoury.
The entire event is expected to last about an hour and a half and will be the prince's only public appearance during his two-day visit.
Other scheduled events are invitation-only and centre on the prince mingling directly with the soldiers.
This will be Prince Andrew's first visit to Cambridge as Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Highland Fusiliers -- one of three Canadian regiments for which he serves as ceremonial commander.
It's the first royal visit to the region since Andrew's brother, Prince Edward, presented the Duke of Edinburgh awards at Waterloo's Perimeter Institute in June 2005.
Cambridge is the last stop on Prince Andrew's three-city Canadian tour.
Earlier this week, the prince had a private visit with members of Halifax's Princess Louise Fusiliers -- a unit still mourning the loss of one of their own, killed on Easter weekend in Afghanistan.
Wednesday, Andrew is scheduled to visit Toronto's Queen York Rangers to observe demonstrations in the regiment's new training facility.
A similar event is scheduled at the Kitchener armoury on Friday, when the prince will watch troop demonstrations.

Getting there.. and parking?..

Green Line - Freedom of the City Parade
Purple Dotted Line - Silent March
Pink - Available parking

If you're planning on catching a glimpse of Prince Andrew during his visit to Galt this weekend, you'll want to make sure you get there early.With roads closed, the market open and security tight, navigating the city's core on what's expected to be a sunny Saturday morning could be quite a feat.
Two municipal parking lots -- one on Water Street North and the Civic Square lot-- will be closed due to the ceremony and ongoing construction
That will leave about 350 parking spaces open in municipal lots in Galt, but royal watchers will have to contend with the usual Farmers' Market traffic for those spots.Several roadways will also be closed to accommodate the parade and the ceremony.Water Street between Park Hill Road East and Dixon Street will be closed all of Saturday morning beginning at 6 a.m. Other intersections will be shut down temporarily as the parade passes
Route 52 leaves Fairview Park mall every half hour and travels directly to downtown Galt, said John Cicuttin, manger of transit development for Grand River Transit.If you'd rather leave the car in Cambridge, route 51 travels down Hespeler Road past the Cambridge Centre every 15 minutes, he said.