Another busy weekend of events on the go

It’s another full weekend of events with Summer In The Park wristbands only $25, plus HST for a couple more days, a couple of cancer awareness events, the Patrick 4 Life Family Fun Run/Walk, and local fundraising efforts involving the Becel Heart and Stroke Bike for Heart event in Toronto.

There’s only a few days left to get Summer In The Park wristbands at the advanced price of $25, plus HST.

Officials will be at the corner of Lakeshore and Judge and at Twiggs on Fraser from 7am to 9am today (Friday).

They will also be at the DIA Cruisin’ Downtown Car & Bike Show Saturday  from 10 am to 4 pm, then at Canadian Tire on Sunday from 10 am to 3 pm.

Other walk-in locations include: Capitol Centre, City Hall, Chamber office, Independent Grocers, Canadian Tire, Clarion Resort Pinewood Park and all three TD Bank locations. Or online through: www.northbaysummerinthepark.ca

A unique event celebrating cancer survivors goes tomorrow afternoon (Saturday) at the Empire on Fraser Street.

It’s the 2nd annual Cancer Survivor and Caregiver Cafe.

Along with celebrating cancer survivors and caregivers, Canadian Cancer Society officials say it’s an opportunity to learn more about the upcoming Relay For Life on June 12th.

Special guest and honourary cancer survivor Angela Johnston will be on hand at the event, which runs from 2 pm to 3pm.

The Nipissing Wild football team is partnering with the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run For The Cure.

The Wild will be wearing pink as they take on the Sudbury Spartans tomorrow afternoon (Saturday) at 2 pm at the Omischl Complex.

It’s the 2nd annual Pink Game raising awareness for Breast Cancer research and the 11th annual Run For The Cure, which goes October 4th.

Local fans are being asked to wear pink to the game.

The Patrick 4 Life Family Run Walk — with 2k, 5k, 10k and half marathon events — goes this weekend.

The goal of the fundraiser is to support the organization’s efforts to raise awareness about HIV and Aids.

Race Kit pick-up takes place tomorrow (Saturday) at Algonquin with the Run Walk on Sunday at the Civic Plaza downtown.

Meantime, registration rates have been frozen to get as many participants involved as possible.

And an event that involves a massive road closure in Toronto on Sunday is benefiting the health of local residents.

The Becel Heart and Stroke Ride for Heart sees thousands of people riding their bicycles on the Don Valley Parkway raising money for resuscitation efforts.

Jean Guy Belzile is the captain of the NBPPA/Nipissing EMS Lifeline PAD team.

He says funds raised locally stay in the community. He also says thanks to the Public Access Defibrillator program they’ve seen 139 of the units set up across the district.

Belzile says, “We’ve covered the area so well, as far as public places, but we encourage private business to get involved, as well.”

He goes on to say, “you see them in some of the grocery stores, but I’d like to see them in every grocery store.”

Meantime, Belzile says they’re looking to raise $5,000 this year, which they expect to meet and possibly even surpass. “We’re doing our best to keep this program going, and we have one of our survivors who will be leading the 75k for our team, Roger Mendard, who was saved at Memorial Gardens is an avid cyclist, so he’s coming with us.”

He also says next year they’re concentrating on creating awareness by training more people to be CPR instructors and to replace some of the older defibrillators too.

Since 2009, the local paramedic challenge team has raised over $82,000 through the Ride for Heart.

Meantime, this is Paramedics Week and Nipissing District Paramedics will be at Northgate Shopping Centre from 9 am to 9 pm.

An ambulance will be there along with specialized equipment and local paramedics.