Cameron Penney
A combination of clear skies and sunny weather helped encourage plenty of people to head to the Point Park to take part in the “Fun in the Sun” festivities on Canada Day.
“It went very well,” enthused Cynthia Donald, chair of the “Fun in the Sun” committee.
“A lot of people showed up—a lot more than we thought, which is always nice.
Donald noted that one food vendor served around 800 people, and believes the total number of people that went to the Point surpassed 1,000.
“A lot of people were just happy that things were happening down [at the Point],” Donald added.
“And I had a lot of comments from young people saying, ‘This is the way it was when I was young,’” she recalled.
One of the focuses of the “Fun in the Sun” committee this year was to add new activities along with some of the annual favourites.
“Our opinion was, ‘Let’s add at least two more things to the Point,’” Donald stressed. “And then it just grew.”
Youngsters were able to rent kayaks and paddleboards to try in the water. Meanwhile, other activities such as slack lines and live performers were offered.
“I think most of the activities were well received,” Donald noted.
“I was impressed with the boating, that was busy all day,” she remarked. “The slack lines, the boys that were in charge of that were there all day. They were busy.”
“There’s definitely some things we want to change but we we’re happy, and we’re happy that people are happy.
“It would have been nice to have had a couple more food vendors,” she conceded.
The “Fun in the Sun” committee is planning on meeting again this week to debrief on this year’s event, and begin considering what to do for next year.
With 2017 being the 150th celebration of Canada Day, there is a strong desire to improve the annual event here.
“We’re looking at next year because we have to celebrate that in a big way,” Donald stressed.
“The learning curve was straight up. What we want to do differently, we definitely need more volunteers and especially [on Canada Day],” she remarked.
She reasoned that this year, there were plenty of student volunteers, but felt that an increased amount of adult volunteers would be beneficial.
With this year’s event now in the books, Donald was pleased with the success.
“I’m really happy with the way Fort Frances responded and a lot of people were very appreciative,” she enthused.
After “Fun and the Sun” wrapped up, plenty of local residents shared their enthusiasm for the celebrations on Facebook.
“The last time I’ve seen a crowd like that on the beach was when I was in high school,” wrote Nicole Miller.
“I hope this is just the beginning of a long line of Canada Day celebrations to come,” she continued.
“Volunteerism is the price we pay to live in a great community.”
“Congratulations to the committee for resurrecting ‘Fun in the Sun’ back at [Point Park],” echoed Don Lovisa.
“It is the gem of that represents Fort Frances, with lots of my own fond memories from my childhood and adolescence,” he enthused.
“Keep up the good work, the community deserves it.”
“It was really great to see how many families came to celebrate at the Point like the good old days,” remarked Jenna Nowak.
“Next year will be even bigger and better and I can’t wait to see what’s in store,” she added.
