There is a lot to celebrate this weekend, and for those who have fond memories of time in Woodlawn Regional Park, the grand re-opening may be the biggest reason of all to party.
The park has undergone a transformation since it was physically reshaped in 2011 by the rising waters of the Souris River, which cuts through it. The cleanup has the park looking as beautiful as it was prior to the flooding.
The grand re-opening celebration on Saturday will feature horse-drawn wagon rides around the leafy grounds, giving all those who have yet to go back down to the park an opportunity to see all the changes that have happened. It will also provide a great opportunity for newcomers who haven't yet been to the park a great way to experience it for the first time.
Park manager Nathan Puffalt is excited to show off all the work that has gone into the park and while some areas are still a little sensitive, visitors will get an idea of how the park and campsites will be laid out later this summer.
Due to some uncooperative weather this spring, work on the campsites is a little behind.
"We're seeing a huge delay there, but it's looking absolutely beautiful down there," said Puffalt. "With this weather, it has left the ground really saturated, so if we put campers in there now all that grass that just got planted is going to get destroyed."
He doesn't expect they will accept campers in some sites for another month or two. The hookups are complete and all that's left for those sites is to put in some gravel pads.
Early risers on Saturday can make their way to the park on Saturday morning for the pancake breakfast, which will be served from 8 to 10 a.m. After breakfast will be the opening ceremonies where the new logo will be unveiled. A contest was held, calling on entries for the new logo and Puffalt said they received a lot of quality submissions from many people around the community.
"We got quite a few from a bunch of kids as well," said Puffalt noting they received about 50 submissions. "It turned out to be really good. For the board of directors it was a very close decision. We had one sure winner and then a second and third-place prize had a tie."
There will be lots of games and activities for kids and adults alike, with a flag football tournament and slo-pitch batting challenge as well as soccer and a short-game golf clinic at the TS&M Woodlawn Golf Club.
In the evening, the big draw will be live music in the park, with headliner Codie Prevost, Saskatchewan Country Music Award winner of the entertainer of the year and male vocalist of the year. Further music will be provided by the cover band Mascara and Dennis Ficor and Son.
All activities will be held at the Athletic Park, which encompasses the football and soccer field, Cassette Park and the Souris Valley Theatre. A bonfire will also be held in the evening.
The park continues to undergo work, with Puffalt noting the fence will be up very shortly once the rails are delivered. New lighting will be completely installed by the weekend, though it won't be running just yet.
"A couple of the buildings still need to have some renovations done," said Puffalt, noting that work will happen once supplies are delivered. "We hope to have soccer on there the first week of July. The field itself is ready to go, the irrigation is all in."
The new score clock will be going up soon, as will all the sponsorship signs.
"Everything has been coming along real well."
Fundraising continues to trickle in for the park, and Puffalt said it's great to see the many other things that are donated, like people's time and materials.
"The real success story with all of this is seeing all these groups come together and work together for one of the first times in recent memory. They've done a phenomenal job of working together and getting Woodlawn up and running."
The equipment and materials were recently donated to install the piles for the lights, which amount to about $20,000 in savings for Woodlawn. That work was done last week. Puffalt said the corporate support as well as that from the City and the RM of Estevan has been very appreciated.
This year, he hopes that all work on the buildings is complete and the gravel parking lot is finished. "Cosette Park (committee) is going to be doing a bit of work down at their field," said Puffalt, noting Joe Lingelbach will continue to work feverishly at Met Stadium.
"He spends more time in Woodlawn than some of my employees," joked Puffalt.
A donation wall will also be going up later this year, recognizing the many sponsors and donors who have supported the park since the flood.
