The City of Guelph will host the second annual John Galt Day Celebration on Monday, August 4, at John Galt Park by River Run Centre. The afternoon will be a celebration of Guelph’s founder and historical past.
Activities will begin in front of City Hall at 11:30 a.m. with the raising of the John Galt Flag. A parade to John Galt Park will follow, led by piper Don Macrae. Residents are encouraged to come dressed in period costumes. All are welcome to join the free festivities and enjoy old fashioned children’s games, great entertainment, the Guelph historical caboose, historical walking tours, hand cars and displays, canoe races and refreshments. The event will wrap up at 4 p.m.
The date, also known as Civic Holiday Monday, was renamed for Guelph in October 2006 by following a recommendation by Gil Stelter and Peter Anderson, to honour Guelph’s founder.
John Galt was a prominent Scottish novelist who was known throughout the world, and made Guelph a special and distinctive place. As the superintendent of The Canada Company, a large land company in London, he conceived the idea of building a town to stimulate and direct the agriculture settlement of the area. Galt planned the community with its distinctive radial design, quite different than the gridiron plan of most cities. The design has led to beautiful focal points such as St. Georges Square and views of the Church of Our Lady. Galt determined the cultural character of the early community by emphasizing the building of churches, a school and organizing an agricultural fair to promote the community’s role in advancing local agriculture.