This year’s 46th Annual Family Day in Qualicum Beach will have an added blast on May 26.
Quality Foods plans to hold a special Festival of Lights Fireworks Show at the Qualicum Beach waterfront that night following the daytime activities.
The plan is to stage the show from a barge in the water at the waterfront near the Qualicum Beach Visitor Centre starting at dusk.
Qualicum Beach council recently voted to grant permission to Quality Foods to hold the fireworks despite some concerns about the noise and impact to the environment.
Coun. Scott Harrison said he supports the event because it has been a part of the community for a long time.
“Some concerns were raised about the noise of fireworks and I don’t think we have enough time this year to change what’s proposed,” he said. “But I was just thinking that as this is something I do think that we want to keep in our community, we might want to have conversations looking forward to next year if there’s ways we could reduce some of the impacts of the noise.”
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Council also voted to pass Mayor Teunis Westbroek’s follow-up motion to request the organizers to meet with council and staff to discuss an environmentally friendly way to hold the event. Council requested the town’s corporate administrator and assistant CAO Heather Svensen to write a letter to the business.
“Council would be in agreement if we ask you to send a letter saying ‘we approve it this year but we are concerned about some of the environmental impacts and other things. Would it be possible to discuss something we could do for future years that may be less of an impact?’” said Westbroek.
Family Day event sponsored by the Town of Qualicum Beach and organized by a group of volunteers features a variety of activities that include a pancake breakfast the Civic Centre, a street parade down Second Avenue, food vendors and a free swim at Ravensong Pool.