Decision time

In what has become an annual story around this time of year, the Fun in the Sun committee once again is appealing for public support to keep our summer festival afloat.
But with the plea beginning to sound like a broken record, it’s high time for our community to decide whether to do more than toss a lifeline each year or just pull the plug altogether.
The biggest problem remains getting “new blood” to sit on the committee to plan events and, more importantly, come up with fresh ideas. The lack of volunteers obviously means fewer activities can be staged, which, in turn, results in less people turning out to take part—to the point where it becomes a question of why bother to hold anything at all.
There’s no question Fun in the Sun no longer is the community festival it was during its heyday, which is a shame in itself. But with the committee asking the town for $10,000 simply to hold fireworks on July 1, one has to wonder if Canada Day celebrations soon may be a relic of history here.
How sad is that?
True, we live in a free country and people have the right to enjoy Canada Day as they so choose, whether that means heading to the cabin, going camping, or taking a trip to the States to shop. But for those who do like to wave the flag, even if it’s just for one day a year, the prospect of July 1 without a parade, activities at the Point, and fireworks seems inconceivable for a community of our size.
Yet unless things turn around—and fast—that’s precisely what will happen.
We all want a party on Canada Day, but forget it takes people to organize events and money to pay for them. The town has been allotting $5,000 to Fun in the Sun since 2008, and had planned to do so again this year, but there’s only so much taxpayer dollars to go around.
The choice is simple: we, as a community, either commit to Fun in the Sun and Canada Day or let them fall by the wayside.Having the committee come cap in hand to council each year, and making an annual plea for help to keep going, is not an option anymore.