The Estevan community received a Christmas spirit boost at the Woodlawn Regional Park.
Christmas at the Park attracted hundreds of people last Sunday. Everyone could find some festive and fun activities to taste, and all guests who made it to the park Sunday pass the holiday spirit forward participating in a day full of excitement.
Christmas snowwomen were the first sights people could see pulling in by the Doug Third Building at the park. They were directing traffic and advising the guests about different activities happening around, and there was a lot to choose from.
The fill-up station was inside, so guests could get warm while enjoying some snacks. The 麻豆传媒AVern Plains Co-op donated hotdogs and hot chocolate to make sure that no one leaves the event cold or hungry. Henders Drugs and Energy Electric also made donations to help the event happen.
Durr Photography was at the event to capture kids whispering their wishes to Santa Claus, who came all the way from the North Pole and once again made it just on time to meet all of the excited younger members of the Estevan communities.
The Estevan Bruins came out to play road hockey with the younger guests, who had a blast on the field behind the building. There also was a big snowbank for kids to colour.
Sleigh-rides once again were one of the biggest hits of the day.
鈥淲e hired Stan Milford. He has three teams of horses with wagon rides,鈥� said park business manager Maureen Daoust.
Fireworks by Big Bang Fireworks were the culmination of the event at the first location. Then the guests moved over to the other side of Woodlawn Regional Park to enjoy the kickoff to the third edition of the Festival of Lights, which exceeded all expectations.
鈥淲e have over 30 businesses and service organizations that are participating, which is an increase from last year. I think we had 11 groups in 2017, and I think we had 25 groups last year,鈥� said Daoust. 鈥淲e are super pumped about it too.鈥�
The lights came on as soon as the skies turned dark, and now they will come on at dusk time and stay on for about six hours every night until Jan. 7.
Christmas in the Park took quite a bit of time to put together.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been planning since pretty much the park closed. The park closed September 30,鈥� said Daoust.
And as soon as the board members said goodbye to the 2019 summer season, they started lining up organizations, donors and people that they hire for the event. Board members came to volunteer that night as well.
It stayed steadily busy throughout the day with many people coming to get their portion of Christmas. However, there was no way to calculate the numbers for attendance, as it was open for everybody.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a free community event, so we are really proud to offer it and just spread Christmas cheer for everybody,鈥� said Daoust.
