Stores and offices may be closed but there's still lots to do this Victoria Day Monday in and around Toronto from mainstream circuses, fireworks, and something a little out of the ordinary.
You can meet Miss Manure 2009. No Bull.
Miss Manure will reign over festivities at Puck's Farm in Schomberg for the 29th annual Manure Festival.
She trades in a tiara for a pair of boots and a shovel. For a $10 admission, gardeners can take home all the free fertilizer they can carry.
"Folks come and fill up their pockets, purses and pick ups with all the poop that's fit to scoop," says Mark Parr, director at Puck's farm.
If you can keep the kids clean, have them play cow patty bingo or cow pie catch.
But if you prefer to spend your day around the aroma of food instead, head out to a street food cart for the debut of culturally diverse street food. The city's first foray away from traditional hot dogs offer up everything from jerk chicken at Yonge Street and St. Clair Avenue to souvlaki at Nathan Phillips Square.
The Toronto International Circus Festival wraps up Monday with dozens of circus shows at Harbourfront Centre. Acrobats, clowns, fire-eaters, contortionists, and hula hoopers will all be there. Dancers and performers in all styles from Vaudeville to hip hop will be there.
Now is the time to go visit the Stingray Bay exhibit at the Toronto Zoo. Starting this weekend, the stingrays are joined by sharks that you can pet in the tank.
Don't forget the obligatory fireworks at Ashbridges Bay happen Monday at 9:45 p.m. Take the 91A Southbound bus from Woodbine station, 22A Southbound from Coxwell station, or the 64 Southbound from Main Street station but get there early to beat the thousands of people that turn out every year.
The Ontario Fire Marshall's Office suggests you don't try doing a fireworks display yourself.
But it says that if you do have one, you should never light a firework in your hand and never set them off near a building. Make sure to have buckets of water or sand nearby.
