A big day for the raising of a huge Canadian flag in downtown Windsor.
Hundreds of people from throughout Windsor Essex gathered at Dieppe Gardens at the foot of Ouellette Ave. Saturday for the raising of The Great Canadian Flag.
The project has been in the works for several years but the idea for the flag was brought up back in 1980 by Thomas McDade.
The Great Canadian Flag takes flight for #CANADA150 #cklw @AM800News pic.twitter.com/ejUtVLRkCA
— Gord Bacon (@baconAM800) May 20, 2017
The 60 ft by 30 ft flag flew 150 ft over Windsor's waterfront without a hitch while those in attendance cheered loudly before singing the Canadian National Anthem.
Mayor Drew Dilkens led a crowd from Assumption Park by the Ambassador Bridge for the annual Mayor's Walk.
Mayor Drew Dilkens leads the annual Mayor's Walk to Dieppe Gardens for the raising of The Great Canadian Flag. (Photo by AM800's Gord Bacon)
Flying the flag is in celebration of Windsor's 125th birthday and coincides with Canada's 150th.
Project team member Peter Hrastovec says it's been a long-time in the making.
"I've been thinking about this for a couple of decades. As you heard Thomas McDade came back here in '79, '80, and raised the idea so we raised the flag in his honour. We've reached back into history," says Hrastovec
Spectators await the raising of The Great Canadian Flag at Dieppe Gardens on Riverside Dr. in Windsor. (Photo by AM800's Gord Bacon)
He told AM800 News the support the project received is overwhelming.
"This is about teamwork, we had a great team, and a great community, lots of support in the community, but it's about everybody working together," Hrastovec says. "That's what makes this city great. I mean bar none, there's wonderful cities, wonderful places to live in Canada, but when you want something done in this community you reach out to it's citizens and it gets done."
Kenneth Webb and his wife Lynn are visiting Windsor from Buckinghamshire England.
The pair stumbled upon the celebration and decided to take it all in.
"We're walking along the water front and we wondered what was going on, and so we sat here to see what was happening. I thought it was marvelous and what a massive great flag that is as well," says Webb.
Lynn and Kenneth Webb are visiting all the way from Buckinghamshire England, they happened upon the ceremony and stayed to take it all in. (Photo by AM800's Gord Bacon)
Organizers have already raised $330,000 of the $355,000 needed for the project, $150,000 of that came from a Canada 150 grant.
Hrastovec says he confident the team will be able to come up with the remaining $25,000 in the coming months.