ESTEVAn - Woodlawn Regional Park brought back their traditional Christmas festivities, and it sure was busy in and around the Doug Third Hall on Sunday.
Hundreds of people headed out to the park to hang out and enjoy many beloved family Christmas activities, which were even dearer after two years of a break.
Christmas in the Park started at 3:30 p.m., so a lot of those who stopped in Estevan to have fun at the CP Rail Holiday Train visit then headed to Woodlawn to continue with holiday entertainment.
Park business manager Maureen Daoust said they mainly kept their Christmas in the Park within the traditional format, but there were a couple of additions.
Guests were invited to enjoy free hot dogs and hot chocolate, courtesy of Southern Plains Co-op, make wishes and take pictures with Santa Claus, courtesy of Wanda Harron Photography, have fun playing road hockey with the Estevan IG Wealth Management U13 AA Bearcats female team, warm up by the campfire, and get creative while doing Christmas crafts with the Estevan Art Gallery and Museum, which joined the Christmas in the Park event for the first time.
Despite the temperature dropping quite a bit towards the end of the day, many people also lined up to indulge in Christmas magic while on horse and wagon rides through the park.
Daoust said that while it was hectic ahead of the event, everything went really well, and they were impressed with the turnout.
The event culminated with fireworks, which marked the beginning of the Festival of Lights. The park ended up with just over 50 light displays put up by local businesses, non-profit organizations and community groups.
All the displays came live right after the event and will be on every night through Jan. 7 for people to drive or walk through to enjoy, celebrate and get soaked in the holiday atmosphere.
Daoust thanked everyone involved with the event, as it wouldn't be possible without their support.
"Just a shout out to the people that came and to the co-op that offered the free food and to Henders Drugs and Energy Electric that are sponsors of the event too," Daoust said.
The event was also made possible thanks to the support from the Estevan Chamber of Commerce, Estevan Art Gallery and Museum, The Brick and Southeast College.
