A beaver fur top hat will be presented to the captain of the first downbound vessel on the Welland Canal next week as the 2019 shipping starts in Port Colborne.

But before the city welcomes the first vessel, the annual Mariner's Service will be held at St. James and St. Brendan Anglican Church, 55 Charlotte St., this Sunday.

The 7 p.m. service features music, prayers, dance and fellowship, followed by a reception across from the church at the Guild Hall at 72 Charlotte St.

Port Colborne's top hat ceremony, which started in the early 1970s under Mayor John Buscarino, will be held Friday, March 22, in the pavilion at Lock 8 Gateway Park, 163 Mellanby Ave.

In St. Catharines, the annual top hat ceremony for the first upbound vessel is on Tuesday, March 26, at 10 a.m. at St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre at Lock 3, 1932 Welland Canals Pkwy.

Mayor Bill Steele will host Port Colborne's ceremony along with representatives from upper levels of government and the marine industry. It gets underway at 8 a.m. with Port Colborne's Fair Trade Committee providing a pancake breakfast with students from McKay Elementary School offering entertainment. The ceremony itself begins at 8:30 a.m.

Steele will present the old top hat to the first ship's captain for the ceremony and it will then be returned to Port Colborne Historical and Marine Museum's archives.

The captain doesn't leave empty-handed though. Steele will present them with a keepsake top hat and a silk tuxedo scarf bearing the Canada 150 logo.

Nathaniel.Johnson@niagaradailies.com

905-684-7251 | @DaveJTheTrib