Estevan area residents are going to have the chance to mark the end of COVID-19 restrictions in style.
The Estevan Downtown Business Association (EDBA) will host a Lockdown End Party street dance in the Tower Café parking lot and the 1100-block of Fourth Street on July 17, starting at 9 p.m. Tickets are $20 each and will be available on July 12 at Henders Drugs.
Fogdog and El Guitaro will be the entertainment.
Event spokesperson Josh LeBlanc said he hopes everyone will go to the Estevan Motor Speedway’s race program that night, and then come to the party.
“It’s time for the community to get back together,” said LeBlanc. “We wanted to be one of the first ones out of the gate.”
The EDBA didn’t want to step on anyone’s toes in terms of hosting the street dance, in case they were looking to host a similar event, but when the association found out there wouldn’t be something happening, they forged ahead with their plans.
“Everything has come together within the last two weeks,” said LeBlanc.
The last of the provincial public health orders were lifted on July 11, allowing this event and others to happen. Organizers had to work within timeframes that worked for sound companies, stage companies and bands.
LeBlanc said he has been bombarded with phone calls from people asking if they could volunteer, purchase tickets or sponsor the event.
“The community has a real appetite to get together again. It’s going to be one of the first regular events that we’ve been able to have. We’re super excited that the kickoff event can happen downtown, and it can be the street dance that was super popular.”
The stage will be set up in front of the Estevan Salvation Army and the dance area will be there. Beer gardens will be set up in the Tower Café parking lot.
Both El Guitaro and Fogdog were part of the street dance that was part of the Rafferty Rumble two years ago.
LeBlanc noted they talked with other bands, but a lot of them haven’t performed together or practised regularly in the past 16 months, and didn’t feel like they were at a level to start performing again.
Tickets are scheduled to be available at the gate, but people are encouraged to purchase their tickets in advance, because organizers won’t be saving a specific number of tickets for the walk-up crowd. They could sell out in advance.
LeBlanc said they are hoping to attract 1,750-2,000 people.
Any proceeds from the event will be directed to the EDBA for programming and other events in the future.
“We really, really hope to see the community come out and support the event, and it would be good to see everyone out and doing what the community has always done best, and that’s have a good time and raise a little bit of money,” said LeBlanc.
