The annual Flinty’s Birthday celebrations at the Flin Flon Tourist Bureau and Campground will not go ahead this year.
Organizers of the family-friendly event celebrating the birthday of the city’s cartoon mascot along with the incorporation of the city itself have known for some time that the event was approaching its end.
With this year’s Blueberry Jam Music Gathering falling on the weekend it would normally be held, it seemed like an appropriate time to end the tradition.
“It’s always been very popular,” said Dave Price, who is part of the committee that helped organize the birthday celebrations each year.
“But the committee is very small and getting older, and we thought that it has been in the air for the last number of years that we’d probably cancel it.”
Price said there had been some discussion about combining Flinty’s birthday celebrations with the Blueberry Jam Music Gathering. However, Flinty’s Birthday had been aimed more toward young families.
Bunny Burke, another organizer of the event, said the birthday party had always been held on the Sunday closest to August 15.
“August 15 is the day we were incorporated, back in 1933. It just seemed like a good day,” she said.
“We wanted to have something for the kids before they went back to school, so we decided on a birthday party.”
In past years, the party was cohosted by the Flin Flon and District Chamber of Commerce, the museum, Hudbay, and the Flinty Committee, with support from local businesses and volunteers.
In lieu of the celebrations, the Flin Flon Station Museum will host a free open house on Sunday, Aug. 12 from 12 pm to 4 pm. The event will feature some of the same activities that were included in Flinty’s Birthday event.
