By MATT LINDSEY

CANTON -- The 51st St. Lawrence County Dairy Princess Parade & Festival will be held June 5 and 6, with a Big Wheels race, car show, street market and fireworks display.

The Big Wheels race, a festival favorite, is slated for a 6 p.m. start Friday near the Presbyterian Church near Village Park. Children ages four through six can compete in six lanes of racing to win the grand prize of a free Big Wheel. The top three competitors will take home trophies.

Registration opens at 5:30 p.m. and the cost to enter is $1.

“The race typically draws around 75 area children and is an exciting time for the kids and parents,” according to Sally Hill, Canton Chamber of Commerce executive director.

The street from Pine to Main will be blocked off around 5:15 p.m.

A car show will return Friday evening, covering the area from Park to Pine streets. To enter a vehicle in the show, contact Jim Rose at Boyden Brooks Body Works at 379-9853.

Live music and dancing will fill the streets at 8 p.m. for the annual John Deere Days Block Dance sponsored by LeBerge & Curtis. The entertainment takes place near Village Park at the corner of Main and Park streets.

A dedication of Dwight Church Park is planned at 4 p.m. at the corner of West Main and Gouverneur streets. The event is being held by Grasse River Heritage.

The park is named for Dwight Perry Church, whose home and photographic studio once stood on the site, according to Louis Tremaine.

“Church was a photographer whose work included thousands of photos of Canton and its surroundings, taken both from the ground and the air. He was also an activist and environmentalist who worked energetically to preserve and promote the Grasse River and the community of Canton,” Tremaine said.

The property on which the house stood was eventually deeded to Grasse River Heritage by St. Lawrence University in 2009.

“We have developed it to serve as a public park and an attractive green space at the entrance to the Village. We removed debris and dead tree limbs, opened sight lines from the park to the river and Willow Island, added benches, planted lilacs, and installed rail fences and an interpretive sign describing the life and career of Dwight Church,” Tremaine said.

The festival continues Friday morning at 10 a.m. where vendors will fill Village Park selling their wares and for the first time ever a “Street Fair” will be held as well.

“We talked to all the downtown businesses about doing something during the festival and parade. People are sometimes standing on the street for an hour before the parade and the “Street Fair” will give them something to do and help the businesses out too,” Hill said.

The Village Office of Economic Development, the Canton Merchants’ Association, and the Canton Chamber of Commerce coordinated the “Street Fair” that will extend from the Unitarian Universalist Church to Riverside Drive, on both sides of the street.

Many businesses along Main Street will set up activities and side-walk sales.

In order to create a continuous street fair experience, some spaces are being reserved for local artisans, crafters, vendors and musicians.

There will be no cost to participate. However, registration is required to reserve a spot. All tables and/or tents are the responsibility of the registrant. Info: Rainbow Crabtree at CantonMerchants@gmail.com or call Sally Hill at 386-8255.

Around 20 businesses will have some sort of display in front of their location with giveaways, information, balloons and more expected. Nature’s Storehouse will have crafts for kids and a farm photo booth.

A parade will start start at 1 p.m.

“We know of 12 floats so far in the parade…they will be competing for cash prizes,” Hill said.

All competing floats will need to convey the theme “Milk for a Healthy Life.”

Aside from the floats, other parade participants expected to join include local fire departments, school bands, local organizations, antique tractors, marching units, and more. The Brockville Pipe Band will be featured in the parade

The parade typically last about an hour, Hill said. The parade will travel from the St. Lawrence County Department of Social Services parking lot to Chapel Street and then onto Riverside Drive before turning left onto Main Street heading towards the Village Park.

Traffic will be slowed down and alternative routes will be suggested during the parade.

“If you are expecting to travel through the Village, plan ahead to arrive at your destination on time,” Canton Police Chief McDougal said.

The Kiwanis will hold a “Duck Pluck” fundraiser near the fountain in Village Park.

Local radio station morning host Vinny D from B99.3 will be announcing live at the festival and parade.

The St. Lawrence NYSARC 35th fundraiser drawing featuring a grand prize of $10,000 dollars will be held at 3 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets cost $10 or three for $25.

A fireworks display at the high school will close out the evening on Saturday at dusk.