With Canada Day approaching, Estevan and communities in the area are encouraging everyone to come out and join in on the fun, with a wide variety of activities planned to celebrate the birth of our nation.
The Estevan Kinsmen and Kinette Club have got plans for Hillside Kin Park, with something for the whole family.
“It’s basically a free day. It costs nothing to go and attend. It’s just our way of giving back to the community that supports us all year long, in our projects and fundraisers,” said Estevan Kinsmen president Troy Ruzicka.
Ruzicka said the activities will feature a barbecue, a number of children’s games and activities and music, all starting at 11:00 a.m.
“There’s free hotdogs, cotton candy, popcorn, and there’ll be some cake, water and juice,” said Ruzicka, in a call with the Mercury last week. “We’re hoping there’ll be a slip and slide, and the pool will be open. There’ll be some girls doing face painting. There was some word of, maybe, some new activities going on. I haven’t heard what those are, yet”
Ruzicka said poor weather conditions notwithstanding, the events at the Hillside Kin Park often bring out a robust crowd every year.
“We usually go through about five to 600 hotdogs, so we usually see about 300 people, give or take,” he said. “There’s something for everyone.”
Ruzicka said there won’t be fireworks as part of the activities at Hillside Kin Park, since, “Bienfait usually has that, and we want to do something that we can have here for ourselves, without stepping on other people’s toes.”
The Town of Bienfait will also be a happening place, as is the custom for the town when it celebrates Canada day.
“This year, it’s the same as most other years,” said Dena Bachorcik, assistant administrator with the Town of Bienfait. “We’ve got a pancake breakfast from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., we’ve got the parade, of course, and judging starts at 9:30 a.m. The parade, itself starts at 10.”
Other attractions include a concession at the Bienfait Memorial Arena, opening at 11 a.m., a toonie swim at the Bienfait Swimming Pool, glitter tattoos, a cake walk and cake cutting and a house-decorating contest.
A farmers versus firemen slo-pitch tournament is scheduled for 3:30 p.m., and there will be a number of activities for children, including the Mini Firemen’s Rodeo from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The Bienfait Coalfields Historical Society Museum will be open throughout the afternoon, from noon until 4:00 p.m.
Bachorcik noted there will also be a petting zoo, bouncy castles, and of course, fireworks at dusk. She said that the Town of Bienfait “is always really, really busy. We get a lot of people out here, for all of that. There’s usually a good crowd.”
The event is put on every year by Bienfait Parks and Recreation, with proceeds going to support the recreation board, and local recreation facilities, such as the swimming pool, curling rink, skating rink, soccer field and ball diamond.
