Aurora marked the grand opening of its new Town Square facility with a procession and ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 21.
Official town crier John Webster led the winding column, headed by the St. Andrew’s College Pipe and Drums Band, from Town Park where the Aurora Farmers’ Market was wrapping up, down into the new outdoor square.
“It’s a historic day. Every town has a square as a common area. It’s been that way since the Roman times, and here’s Aurora with its Town Square, in this bright and beautiful downtown area,” said Webster.
Once in the square, Mayor Tom Mrakas cut the ribbon, opening the facility, followed by a traditional smudging ceremony by Anishinaabe Grandmother Kim Wheatley.
Taking in one of the cultural centre’s new gallery exhibits, brother and sister Tyrone and Joan Angell said they were impressed by the new space.
“It’s a beautiful space. It’s nice, welcoming and bright,” said Tyrone.
Joan added the pair were looking forward to attending some of the upcoming shows being held as part of the facility’s grand opening, including the Bob Marley tribute show, as well as an upcoming comedy show featuring Martha Chaves, which is part of the Aurora Cultural Centre’s new season.
Sitting on the steps leading into the outdoor square, Sim and Jenny Hong came for the multicultural festival that was also running, but said it was nice to have a new community space, noting they were especially excited for the outdoor skating rink, which is set to be a winter feature of the outdoor square.
“We’ve heard about it over the last few months and thought it’ll be great to see the world they’ve put in. It looks beautiful,” said another resident, Dave Shewfelt, who was enjoying a piece of the Town Square grand-opening cake. “Now that there’s something here, it’ll be nice to have a theatre close by.”
The grand opening kicks off three weeks of performance, running from Sept. 21 to Oct. 13.
The week will feature a variety of performances, both indoor and outdoor, with musical, dance and theatre productions performing everything from Mozart to The Little Mermaid.
The grand opening of Town Square also coincides with Aurora marking Culture Days and the Aurora Cultural Centre kicking off its 2024-25 season, Up Close & Musical, on Sept. 27.
More information, how to buy tickets and the full schedule for performances can be found at AuroraTownSquare.ca.
