Kingsburg’s 4th Olympic Parade!

JULY 26, 2024
Every time there is a Summer Olympics, there is the Olympic Flag Parade in Kingsburg. The idea is to get as many countries represented as possible, and flags always recognize some ancestral connection of the bearer. Many go the extra mile and wear outfits that go along with the flag making the parade a very colourful event.

The parade started in the Village about two hours before the Olympic Opening Ceremonies are broadcast on TV and winds around Kings Pond, up and down coastal paths and along beaches and back to the Village. With the flags flying and the parade stretching out for about 100 meters, it is something to see.

It takes about an hour and a half, including a stop on the Beach Hill Commons for a group photo. Along the way, we are surprised by residents who are offering some sort of service. This year Frank and Lois White and their extended family, all dressed as French Marinière, surprised us by serving water, wine and cookies shaped like Olympic medals with edible ribbons, you could eat the whole thing!

In a previous Olympic Flag Parade, residents had set up a lab to make sure that none of the paraders were drugged!

This year for the first time we were led by an actual Olympian living in Kingsburg  - Alex Duckworth. The Parade ended in the Duckworth barn where the paraders watched the Olympic Opening Ceremonies.

It is a fun event, an opportunity to dress up and recognize one’s ancestry and meet neighbours. Too bad we get this opportunity only every four years. — John Duckworth