NEWS RELEASE
ORILLIA DISTRICT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
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June 25 will be an action-filled day at Orillia’s downtown waterfront.
The Orillia District Chamber of Commerce (ODCC) is hosting Christmas in June, a boater event that was brought to Orillia in 1988 by ODCC events co-ordinator Doug Bunker after seeing it in Florida during a visit to the World Offshore races.
Christmas in June has continued to build in popularity over the past three decades, and is consistently a sold-out weekend at the port docks. Boaters arrive from all over the Trent-Severn and beyond to celebrate Christmas together in June.
Celebrating the holiday season in the summer gives them a chance to decorate their boats, and many go all out with creative decorations and festive lights. The ODCC runs a contest and awards the most extravagant displays. The public can enjoy the spectacle from the boardwalk, where there will also be vendors and promotional displays.
The Rotary Club of Orillia is adding to the fun with the grand reopening of the Rotary Train at noon featuring free train rides. Starting at 2 p.m., the club will be operating a beer tent at the waterfront. The beer tent will feature live musical entertainment, and Friend’s Diner will be onsite offering a Christmas in June turkey dinner. Monies raised through the beer tent will go toward Rotary Aqua Theatre future continued development.
At 9 p.m., Ronnie Douglas will perform a free concert in the gazebo at Port of Orillia, and all are welcome to attend.
The ODCC is still accepting vendor applications for Christmas in June. For vendors, artisans, and local small businesses, this can be a great opportunity to clear out some leftover holiday inventory, although booths do not have to be holiday-themed. Vendors are welcome and encouraged to bring regular stock as well.
This is also an excellent chance for bakers or food vendors to showcase their best holiday sweets. Businesses that prefer not to bring stock with them can book a booth for promotions. During the recent spring boat show downtown businesses that participated saw a noticeable boost in traffic to their locations during the show weekend.
Interested vendors can find an application at www.orillia.com/festivals-and-events, or contact [email protected] for more information.
Coming up later this summer, the Rotary Club of Orillia will be back with their beer tent for more ODCC events including Halloween in July on July 23 and the Port of Orillia Pirate Party on the September long weekend.
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