One of the biggest events in Cochrane is the Labour Day Parade.

Celebrating 49 years on Monday (September 4), the parade continues to grow each year with additional sideline entertainment and new acts taking part.

Marina Chabbert, President of Cochrane Area Events Society, says plan to arrive early with your lawn chair or blanket in hand. "This year we have pre-parade entertainment, so we encourage people to come for the pancake breakfast. Come early, come and enjoy the entertainmnet."

Historic Main Street, Railway and the possibility of Centre Avenue will all have pre- entertainment going on beginning at 9:10 am. "We have Wish I May coming back, they will have characters walking around and have photo opportunities with the kids, Richard the Magician will be walking around and doing magic shows along the route, Jessica McMann and company will be doing native hoop dancing, and we have the Chinook Line Dancers (Calgary Stampede Line Dancers) they are doing a pre-parade show kiddie corner to MacKay's."

Chabbert can't stress enough to come early and enjoy the pre-entertainmnent. "They are relatively big acts coming in so we do encourage people to come early this year, don't wait until 10 o'clock or you will miss out on the pre-parade show."

The parade is anticipated to run a full two hours with seventy floats travelling the parade route including 15 members from the RCMP marching band and the big band sound of the Corps of Royal Engineers from England.

Bring water, bags for candy and other loot, and be prepared to be entertained.

The pancake breakfast hosted by the Cochrane Activettes begins at 9 am in the Northstar Ford parking lot ($3/person or $10/family), pre- parade entertainment 9:10 am, parade begins at 10:30 am, check out STARS and Calgary Prostaid dragster in the Cochrane Crossfit parking lot at 12:30 pm, and then head to catch the final day of rodeo action at the Cochrane Lions Rodeo Grounds.