Canada Day celebrations returned to Bienfait on July 1, and while some of the activities had to be adapted from their traditional form due to the pandemic, it was still a day filled with activities.
“I thought they turned out very well,” said Ryan Fleck, the chairperson of the Bienfait Recreation Board, which organizes the festivities. “I watched the parade, and everyone I talked to was pretty happy with it.”
The day’s activities kicked off with a pancake breakfast that was served outside the Bienfait Memorial Arena by the town’s fire department. Food was provided by the Southern Plains Co-op.
One of the highlights of the day was, as always, the parade. Normally it would begin at the Bienfait Weldon School and wrap up at the town’s arena, but this year, in an effort to allow for social distancing, the school was the starting and finishing point, and the parade made a loop throughout the community.
“There was lots of old tractors and variety, and lots of different businesses put in a float,” said Fleck.
Winners for the parade were Hall Funeral Services, Raymond Vacuum Truck Services and Redhead Equipment in the business category; and Challenger Baseball/Bienfait Minor Sports, the Hillcrest Early Learning Centre and the Souris Valley Theatre in the non-profit category.
“From all the reports that we got from people who did watch it, they thought it was an excellent parade,” said Bienfait Mayor Ken Bonokoski.
Once the parade was finished, people attended a show and shine, a trade show, a petting zone, a miniature fireman’s rodeo and the annual Farmers versus Firemen softball game. The Bienfait Coalfields Historical Society Museum was open for the day.
It’s hard to know how many people were there for the activities, they said, because of the way in which people were spread out. But it looked like there were good crowds, and people obeyed the Public Health orders.
The annual fireworks spectacular wrapped up the day’s activities. Bonokoski said they were likely bigger and better than they’ve been before, a statement that was echoed by Fleck.
The fireworks were launched from the Bienfait Weldon School and many people watched from close to or inside their vehicles. Many of the viewers were parked on Highway 18.
A 50-50 draw was held at the event, with the winner taking home over $2,000 and the Bienfait Recreation Board taking home the rest.
During the fireworks display, there was a two-minute silence in honour of the children whose remains have been found in unmarked graves at former residential school sites in Canada, including one at the Cowesssess First Nation.
“Although there is much that we can take pride in as a Canadian, a quiet time of reflection is exactly what is needed this Canada Day to pause, acknowledge our past and think about what it means to be a Canadian and an ally to Indigenous people,” said Bonokoski.
He hopes that people will take a couple of minutes to reflect on the statement.
Canada Day festivities are the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Bienfait Recreation Board. Proceeds will be directed to Bienfait Minor Hockey, Bienfait Minor Baseball, the Bienfait School Community Council, the Bienfait Memorial Arena, the Bienfait Curling Club, the Bienfait Swimming Pool and the Bienfait Public Library. With that in mind, Fleck said it was important to have something this year after not having an event in 2020.
