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The stage is set for a Bicentennial bash in the birthplace of basketball!
Join us on Saturday, August 12 as we welcome Canada’s Walk of Fame to Mississippi Mills for a special Hometown Stars event to celebrate our very own 2019 Canada’s Walk of Fame inductee, Dr. James Naismith, and all the contributions he’s made to the sporting world as the founding father of basketball. Presented by Scotiabank, in partnership with Cineplex, the Hometown Stars celebration is free to the public and will feature special guests, members of Dr. Naismith’s immediate family, musical performances and a commemorative plaque unveiling.
Dr. Naismith’s ties to the area stretch back to 1853, when his father John Naismith, 18 years old at the time, migrated from Scotland to the Lanark District of Upper Canada. Soon after he moved to live with his uncle Peter in Ramsay Township.
Dr. Naismith was born near Almonte on November 6, 1861, the eldest son of John and Margaret. He attended grade school in the one-room schoolhouse in Bennie’s Corners, and high school in Almonte. In between school, he would help with chores on the farm, and play with friends. One of his favourite games was “Duck on a Rock,” that combined throwing with tag, where a player would guard a large stone. Much later, this game would serve in his development of basketball.
While attending YMCA Training school in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1891, he was asked to introduce a new indoor game that he named basketball. Looking at the rules of some of his favourite sports, like rugby and lacrosse, he developed a game that was fair for all players and eliminated rough play.
While Dr. Naismith died on November 28, 1939, one of the highlights of his career was seeing the world play his game, which was introduced as an Olympic sport at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany.
Since that time, basketball has been adopted globally, becoming one of the most widely played and viewed sports.
Dr. Naismith’s innovation and his birthplace on Mississippi Mills’ soil, is something to truly celebrate and we can’t wait to honour his gift to the sporting world.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Festivities begin August 12 with a day of 3-on-3 basketball and the 28th annual Naismith 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament on Bridge Street in front of the John Levi Community Centre.
The tournament will break at 3 p.m. for the Canada’s Walk of Fame Hometown Stars event, presented by Scotiabank, in partnership with Cineplex, at the Gemmill Park Main Stage (182 Bridge Street, behind the John Levi Community Centre). The public is invited to join members of the Naismith family, members of council and representatives from Canada’s Walk of Fame for a special ceremony and plaque presentation honouring Dr. Naismith’s 2019 induction into Canada’s Walk of Fame.
This event is a special collaboration between Canada’s Walk of Fame, the Municipality of Mississippi Mills and the Naismith 3x3 Basketball Tournament.
Don’t forget to check out Mississippi Valley Textile Museum’s latest exhibit, “Post Up,” by athlete and artist, Mallory Tolcher. It opens August 12 and runs until October 7 and is being presented as part of Mississippi Mills’ Bicentennial celebrations. Through a series of textiles installed on metal rims and wooden backboards, Tolcher challenges societal norms and reimagines the conventional basketball net.
For more information on the artist and exhibit, visit https://mvtm.ca/mvt2/event-page/post_up/.
