Bienfait continues to be a place to be for people looking to celebrate Canada Day.
The community had its festivities Monday to mark Canada’s 152nd birthday, and offered up activities throughout the day for the families.
The day started with a pancake breakfast that was prepared by the Southern Plains Co-op.
The Canada Day parade started at 10 a.m., and a large crowd lined the streets of the town to watch the many brightly decorated floats, classic vehicles, large trucks, horse-and-rider tandems and other entries.
The parade started at the Bienfait Weldon School and made its way down Carbon Avenue, where many of the people watched it. But there were also large crowds on other roads in the town.
The parade crossed Highway 18 twice, and wrapped up at the Bienfait Memorial Arena.
“The streets were full for the parade, which was probably one of the longer ones, probably close to 30 minutes,” said Amanda Pukas, who is the chairperson of the Bienfait Rec. Board.
Highlights after the parade included a toonie swim at the town’s pool, bouncy castles, the Estevan Bible Camp’s rock climbing wall, a cake cutting ceremony, a cake walk, a mini firemen’s rodeo, bingo, a dunk tank, tours of the Bienfait Coalfields Historical Museum and the annual softball game between the firemen and the farmers.
The Southern Plains Co-op cooked burgers and hot dogs that were served at the town's concession. The co-op doesn’t take any profit or benefit from the food that they provide, allowing the full proceeds of the concession to go to the Bienfait Recreation Board.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders football game was shown on the big screen at 5 p.m. at the town's arena. Mr. Mike's Steakhouse Casual served food for the event, and fans turned out to watch the Saskatchewan Roughriders trounce the Toronto Argonauts.
The only downside came late in the day. The annual fireworks show, which is a popular attraction with people from throughout the region, was cancelled due to a severe thunderstorm that struck the southeast region.
Organizers started the show early in an effort to complete it before the wind and rain hit, but were only able to have it for seven minutes.
It was the second straight year that a storm has affected the fireworks. Last year the show’s length was reduced.
“We got a better grant this year than we did last year, actually last year we didn’t get any grant, so we put a little more money towards the fireworks.”
Outside of that, the day went very well, she said. The weather was great until the thunderstorm hit, and the heat drew people for the parade. There was a very good turnout for many of the activities, as the breakfast was popular and the concession was busy for nearly two hours after the parade ended.
The pool was full for the swim as well.
The Rider game was a nice attraction this year, she said, and it’s the first time in years that they have had an event to keep people entertained in the late afternoon and early evening.
Pukas said plans for Canada Day start in April, and the organizing committee meets once a month until the last few weeks before July 1, when they start meeting on a weekly basis. They have a representative from each minor sports community in the town because net income from Canada Day goes to the Bienfait Rec. Board.
“The more that we do (on Canada Day), the less fundraising that we need to do throughout the year, and it’s a good way to keep costs down for members,” said Pukas.
They also have a large number of volunteers each year.
“Not only that, but now we have businesses that are willing to come out and help us,” she said.
A lot of years, the only other fundraiser they have is a community calendar.
Organizers also try to keep the costs low for families.
“Most of it is based on whatever you would like to donate, including the concession and pancake breakfast. The little things are extra, but you can expect to come out here and just have a fun family day for all ages, and not expect to take anything out of your wallet.”
