For the past 9 years there has been a Halal Food Festival in nearby Mississauga. It’s always been a great success but recently the organizer Amir Shamsi and Sara Khan (Milton resident and entrepreneur) worked together to bring the annual event to Milton.
The event held on August 21st at the Milton Community Park was extremely well attended and included live music performances along with many Halal food options, local vendors, and a Mango Festival included as part of the festivities.
Italian Cultural Centre of Milton (ICCM) in collaboration with La Rose Specialty Foods and Fine Italian Bakery co-hosted its 9th Annual Italia Fest Fundraiser on August 14th supporting Townsend Smith Foundation & the ICCM Building Fund.
Italia Fest is an outdoor family festival and fundraiser that celebrates Italian Culture and Heritage in Canada through food, drink, music, dancing, games, and community spirit. Italian Canadians and ALL diverse cultures were welcomed to celebrate this beautiful day at the ICCM escarpment grounds.
The Hindu Community in Halton &Hamilton (HCHH) organized its 4th annual Kawad Yatra on 6th August 2022.
Kawad Yatra is the annual pilgrimage of devotees of Shiva, known as Kawariyas, to the Hindu pilgrimage places of Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri and Sultanganj in India to get the holy waters of the Ganges River. HCHH started their Yatra (parade) from Milton and walked to the Vaishno Devi Temple in Oakville.
Nearly 100 devotees participated in the Yatra (parade) with the desire to seek the blessings of Lord Shiva.
Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) Milton chapter and the Islamic Community Centre of Milton (ICCM) arranged a BBQ event for the Milton community on July 31, 2022 at 8069 Esquesing Line in Milton. Various food items were offered free of charge for adults, like BBQ, burgers, BBQ chicken, and drinks. Whereas kids enjoyed hotdog sandwiches, cotton candy, popcorn, drinks, juices, and multiple inflatable rides in the nice weather. Besides that, there were different stalls setup for attendees to purchase items of their interest, like clothes, jewelry, arts and crafts, paintings, etc.
Step Up To The Plate 5 by the Dads of Milton (DOM) took part at the Lion’s Park in Milton last month. The annual fundraiser chose Nelson the Giant this year, which aims to reduce bullying by building awareness and educating our youth. Founded by Sandy Gemmill, Nelson the Giant is also the focus of a movie in development which aims to spread the message of anti-bullying to students and children across Canada. The event featured a home run derby and also had delicious eats donated by East Side Marios.
“It was great to see people from all over town get together for an afternoon of fun and laughter.” said Sandeep Sambhi, DoM spokesperson for the event.
The Muslim Association of Milton (MAM) held another successful Annual Community BBQ in August with the purpose to bring the entire Milton community together. This year the BBQ raised funds for both Milton District Hospital Foundation as well as Oakville Hospital. The Annual BBQ opened its door to the entire community giving everyone a chance to attend and enjoy their day. It was a free entry event with a ton of activities for people to take part in such as a Bar-B-Que, toy and clothing stalls, face painting, Fire Truck and more.
The Canadian Indian Association (CIA) celebrated India’s 76th Indian Independence Day with its second Annual multi-city Drive-thru car parade on Saturday, 20th August 2022.
The car parade started at the Milton Sports Centre. The Milton Mayor, Mr. Gordon Krantz and the Consulate General of India, Mrs. Apoorva Srivastava, flagged off over 40 cars.
Halton Gujrati Senior Samaj celebrated Canada Day on 9th,of July at Milton Sports Centre in a banquet hall. The event started with a dance for praying Ganeshji to remove obstacles in life. The Honourable Mayor Gordon Krantz spoke followed by President’s welcome speech, MP Adam Van Koeverden, MPP Parm Gill,and other Milton Town Councillors.
The 155th Canada Day was celebrated at the Milton Sports Area Event Area A on July 2 with much joy. After singing the Canadian and Indian National Anthem, the Canadian Indian Association of Halton Region President, Mr. Jagmohan Mainra, addressed the event and welcomed all dignitaries and guests. More than 500 guests attended the function. Mr. Mainra said in his speech, “As we celebrate Canada Day today, let us embrace our differences and learn to rejoice in them. India, like Canada, has a lot of diversity and history. This is why most Indians fi nd it so easy to integrate and embrace Canadian life. Cheers to the wonderful Karam bhoomi (the land that gave us our present & future) and cheers to our Matr bhoomi (the land that gave us life). Jai Bharat, Jai Canada.”
The famous Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra, also known as the Festival of Chariots, is believed to be the world’s oldest and largest chariot procession. Jagannath is another name for Lord Krishna. Once a god’s deity is established in a temple, it usually is not moved. Lord Jagannath is one of the rare deities taken out of his temple each year for a procession where it is said, he visits His devotees, and the public welcomes Him in the streets. The Ratha-yatra showcases the Lord’s love for His devotees. Milton’s ISKCON temple held its 3rd Festival of India on June 26th, 2022.
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness is popularly called ISKCON. It also is referred to as the Hare Krishna movement. ISKCON has more than five hundred major centers, temples and rural communities, a wide variety of community projects, including FOOD FOR LIFE, and millions of congregational members across various countries. ISKCON’s Milton branch started in the year 2017.