New blood to keep Douro parade going

The Douro Canada Day Parade will go on, thanks to two township residents.

Heather Watson and Julie Chatten have stepped up and into the parade’s lead planning role.

Douro resident Annette Dunford organized the event for the last 17 years, but was ready to pass the torch.

After Dunford announced her news, Watson and Chatten chose to team up to keep the tradition alive.

Watson and her family live in Douro. She’s running for a seat on Douro-Dummer Township council.

Chatten also lives with her family in the township. She’s thrown her hat in the ring for a public school board trustee seat.

So it’s business as usual for the Douro Canada Day Parade this year.

Chatten and Watson plan to keep the same format, except they won’t be able to pull together the post-parade potluck on such short notice. If someone else wants to jump in on the food front, they’re more than welcome, Watson said.

The parade leaves from the corner of County Rd. 4 and 4th Line at 3 p.m. July 1. Participants should arrive at 2:30 p.m. Floats will travel along 4th Line to Douro.

Watson met with Dunford on Thursday morning to go over a few details and collect paperwork.

Dunford said she had “mixed emotions” when she handed over the reins. She still plans to help, though, to ensure things run smoothly for the new organizers.

NOTE: To sign up for the parade, call Heather Watson at 705-930-8037 or Julie Chatten at 705-559-5296