While people often lament what there is to do in Yorkton, the comments do seem to come more often in winter, because cold tends to keep us a bit closer to any sort of apparatus which offers even a modicum of warmth.
Certainly the days of outdoor activities get a few shorter in the winter months, the last week a fine example of a brisk wind proving to be a perfectly good reason for staying inside.
But the general comments about what to do in Yorkton brings up a continuing question, what should a community like ours expect in terms of recreation?
Recreation really breaks down into a few rather distinct categories.
There is a breakdown based on age. Adults can look to a night at a cabaret, or an open mic night at a local establishment as reasonable form of recreation.
The same avenue is not available to youth.
Of course youth does have extensive options in the city based on both minor sports organizations, hockey, school sports, figure skating, gymnastics and swimming coming to mind.
While not the same range of sports, adults too, have a good variety open to them even in the winter months; racquetball courts, badminton nights, curling, recreational hockey, billiards, steel-tip darts and a few others, all of which would welcome more participation.
Youth also have a number of organizations offering organized activities, including three military-influenced cadet corps, Girl Guides, and Boy Scouts.
As an adult there are also fraternal organizations to get one out of the house, Kinsmen, Knights of Columbus, Lions and others which offer both fun and good deeds for the community.
When you look at the options, it becomes a tad difficult to determine exactly what more might be offered in a community our size.
Certainly some might note that most activities come with a cost associated with the leisure, and that can be a deterrent to participation for both youth and low-to-middle income participants.
That is a legitimate concern.
But there is help, at least on the youth side, through programs such as Kids Sport.
The other concern is for family activities, those opportunities which allow participation by all. Even there though, we have cross country ski trails, outdoor rinks, sliding hills and similar activities which can get the entire family out the door for fresh air and physical activity.
In our world of Internet and Netflix, big screen televisions, and surround sound systems, we may not get out as much as we should.
And some will say when they do, there is nothing to do in our city.
But when you look around, the options seem in place, we just need to brave the cold to enjoy them.
