Art Bowes kicked off the parade on Saturday as the parade marshall and then Nick Petropoulos won the Soapbox Derby for the second year in a row.

An enhanced Kids World was a hit and attendance was three times last year’s numbers. Then there was the Rotary Beer Garden and the Symphony of Fire to wrap things up.

Congratulations to Ancaster Soccer Club president Jim Bethune and his committee on yet another successful tournament that saw more than 5,000 soccer players and 10,000 spectators filling virtually every soccer pitch in town over the weekend.

Once again, we have Mary Ann Leach and her committee to thank and congratulate for organizing this year’s Ancaster Heritage Days and for putting on such a tremendous community-led event for the thousands of people who got to see the uniqueness of our town. Thank you Mary Ann.

With the new Business Improvement Area up and running in the village core, 20 new trees will be planted and others removed or pruned to mark the boundaries of the BIA. The new trees will also display LCD lighting to mark the new zone between Dally and Montgomery.

You’ve read in this space numerous times about the new Official Municipal Plan due for adoption by June of this year and I am pleased to say that will happen on Wednesday (June 24) when it comes before council for a final vote.

After years of working to harmonize the municipal plans of our six former municipalities, I want to thank everyone for their active participation in this project and for the passion you’ve shown for what matters to you… through public meetings, e-mails, letters, etc., your voice was heard and acted upon in the final document. Thank you!

While a feasibility study pointed to the need to expand the Morgan Firestone Community Centre, it did not get approved through the first round of announcements for stimulus funding. I am, however, continuing to work behind the scenes with David Sweet and Ted McMeekin to secure funding from Ottawa and the Province through the stimulus package and will keep you posted on the status of these negotiations.

And finally, I want to invite residents to attend a July 6 public meeting in the Albion Room at the Convention Centre at 9:30 a. m. to provide your input into the proposal by Mattamy homes to build 325 new homes in Ancaster Arbor, located at the old Fairgrounds site off Garner Road and Kitty Murray.

Have a safe and happy summer and until next time, if you have something you want to see or read about in this column, please contact my office at City Hall at 905-546-2704. You can also reach me by e-mail at Lloyd. Ferguson@hamilton.ca .