For the holiday season, the picturesque town of Gananoque Ontario will hold the Gananoque Santa Clause Parade with the theme, “Christmas around the World”. The parade is set to take place in Downtown Gananoque Ontario on the 28^th of November, 2009.

Spectators are in for a blast as the parade brings entertainment and magical fun with lively music, colorful and artful floats, a special international flare for this year’s parade and lots of surprises for families and other spectators, both young and old. Don’t forget that the festivities are for a cause, so please bring along a non-perishable food item to add to our local Food Bank!

For first time visitors, the quaint little town, which has a long history, is situated in Leeds and Grenville County, Ontario. With a stable population of around 5000 townsfolk, the town contains some beautiful sights that draw in plenty of visitors each year.

Locals and tourists alike, the Gananoque Santa Clause Parade is a yearly event of lights and festivities that is assured to bring nothing but pure Christmas delight to the young ones, and even the young at heart. With the presence of Saint Nick – a character that needs no introduction wherever you may be on the planet – on these yearly visits, families get closer and nights get warmer guaranteed!

For the holidays, drop by the beautiful town of Gananoque Ontario. You’re guaranteed to have a memorable experience with the fun kicking off at 6:00 pm so bring along your winter gear and a smile because the event will cost you nothing but time.

As of November 17, 2009, 13183 confirmed cases of H1N1 have been reported in Canada, with 198 individuals falling to the disease. Although our little town of Gananoque Ontario has had confirmed cases, no deaths have been reported. In spite of this, our officials remain wary and vigilant against the spread of the virus. Authorities have recently announced that the H1N1 vaccine is now available to everyone living in Gananoque Ontario. A clinic will be set up at the Kinsmen Club on November 24, with vaccines to be given out to everyone.

Dr. Anne Carter, medical officer of health in the area, issued a statement saying, “Any person, regardless of age or medical condition, can get an H1N1 vaccination.”

Our students and school staff are particularly affected by the spread of the influenza virus, as more and more safeguards and precautions are being put up to prevent contraction of the disease. School staffs are directed to ensure that soap and water are available for regular hand washing, with hand sanitizers placed in the areas where hand washing cannot be done. Frequent cleaning of often used surfaces and items is also regularly done in Gananoque Ontario schools and public places.

Our region’s health unit also requests that parents refrain from sending their children with fevers to school, until it subsides for a full 24 hours.  This has caused a panic among our town’s residents for awhile, but health authorities are quick to thwart the spread of disinformation.

Fellow residents of Gananoque Ontario greeted vaccine for everyone with mixed reactions. There are some skeptics who question the safety and effectively of the vaccines. Global health officials understand this fear – as with all vaccines, some can have reactions ranging from allergies, to more complicated issues. However, they stress that allowing the virus to continue its spread can prove dangerous, citing the Spanish Flu of 1918.

Just recently, the Royal Canadian Legion announced the start of the Annual Poppy Campaign across the country. One of the places in full gear for the campaign is our very own town of Gananoque Ontario.

The legion has set aside close twice as many poppies as there are people in the town so there is plenty for everyone for sure.

Bill Beswetherick of the Royal Canadian Legion in Gananoque Ontario reports, “We live in a place with a population of 5,200 people, and we’ve got 8,000 poppies ready for distribution. I don’t know why that is, except people in Gananoque really appreciate their veterans and it seems to be like this every year.

We have orders for 146 wreaths to lay at the service, and that’s more than the number of businesses and service clubs we have in town.”

Gananoque Ontario will also have a formal ceremony to kick off its poppy campaign with special guest Bill Hale in attendance, a Second World War veteran and the son of a decorated war hero, who is set to present a poppy to MPP Bob Runciman.

Every November, Poppies can be found on the lapels and collars of almost every Canadian in the country. Since its early beginnings in 1921, the Poppy has stood as a mark of Remembrance, a reminder to never forget all the brave Canadian who fought and fell for their country in past wars and military operations.  Other nations have also adopted the symbol to honor and pay their respects to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. The Poppy is recognized as a “symbol of collective reminiscence” the world over.

Back to Canada, the Kingston Legion was busy gathering 80,000 of the Remembrance Day symbols bagged and ready for distribution to the public, which starts when two armored vehicles ply Princess Street at 11 in the morning, with people inside giving away the poppies to everyone in sight.

Canada’s Poppy Campaign comes at a very significant time with Canadian forces currently stationed in Afghanistan. This marks Canada’s first war since Korea, a bitter memory to most in the country and as veteran loving residents of Gananoque Ontario, we are all out to support the campaign again.

The Thousands Islands Family Health Network is gearing up for the provision of clinics in the Gananoque Ontario area for H1N1 vaccinations among the locals. The vaccine just arrived last week and Phase 1 vaccinations for high risk individuals will start early November.

“We were contacted by the (Leeds, Grenville and Lanark) health unit and asked to participate in the first phase,” Dr. Brian Hart said. “Everyone in this area is working together in terms of vaccinations.”

H1N1 Vaccine for Gananoque Ontario

High risk individuals in Gananoque Ontario include people with pre-existing disease conditions like heart diseases, chronic lung diseases, diabetes, cancer, HIV patients, kidney diseases and those with other conditions that may result to difficulty in breathing. Other high risk individuals are children below 5 years old and more than 6 months, health care workers, household contacts and health care providers of those who can’t be immunized, pregnant women up to 4 weeks postpartum and those living in rural areas remote from hospital care.

If you are one of the individuals mentioned above, you should visit your local health provider and ask about Phase 1 vaccinations. Although most people affected with H1N1 will get better without complications, Gananoque Ontario locals are still recommended to acquire the vaccine as some individuals may react poorly to swine flu.

It is also important to visit or call the local health provider once flu-like symptoms are felt like cough, fever of 38 C or greater, fatigue and significant muscle pain.

Dr Brian Hart said that exact dates and locations are still being confirmed but November 5 and 6 are the most likely dates for the high risk vaccinations. We can watch the next week’s Reporter or ask local health providers for the exact dates, times and locations. Phase 2 is scheduled after the provision of vaccines for high risk individuals so keep posted.