While saying goodbye to winter with a free public skate, Canora area residents had the opportunity to welcome spring and summer programming at a mass registration event at the Civic Centre.
Overall, it was a successful event with more than 100 persons participating, said Aaron Herriges, Canora’s director of leisure services.
The seven booths were busy for the two-hour event, but the booth for the Canora swimming pool programs was very busy, he said. Even with three persons taking regisrations, the long line to register told the story.
Taking registrations, Herriges was joined by Crystal Reine and JilliAnn Sawatsky, the new pool manager. The prep work at the pool will begin in late April or early May and the target date to open the pool for the season is the beginning of June.
It is normal for the pool registration table to be busy because swimmers like to sign up early to ensure they register for the programs they want. Even though more than 100 swimmers were signed up, there is still room to register for most programs. Herriges said he expects that there will be many more registrations to come in the next week.
While the mass registration was successful, there likely would have been many more attending if the weather had co-operated, he said. The heavy snow received from the spring snowstorm that day did deter many from participating.
Even among many who attended, there was a sense of urgency to register and get home, Herriges said. However, a large number did come prepared to enjoy the final skate for the season. The artificial ice plant had already been shut off.
Candace Doogan ran a food booth during the event. Everybody attending received a ticket for a free hotdog, courtesy of the Department of Leisure Services.
Among the organizations represented for the mass registration were: Canora leisure services, Canora swimming pool, Canora Nursery School Association, Canora Golf and Country Club, Canora Minor Soccer Association, Canora Minor Ball Association, and the Canora Child Action Plan – Crossroads Project Reconnect (CAP/CPR).
Also taking part were representatives of Ketchen Lake Bible Camp and from the proposed Rising Stars Early childhood Centre.
Tricia Bedore of Canora said she is in the prelimiary stages of setting up an early childhood centre, but is very optimistic that it will happen within months. As a former early childhood educator with the Canora Children’s Centre, she said her plan is not to compete but to complement the services offered.
In her licensing application, she plans to be able to handle 20-25 youngsters.
At the mass registration, Bedore said her mission was to allow people in the area to know that such services will be available while also doing an informal survey to determine the interest. The centre will be called the Rising Stars Early Childhood Centre.
