A lot of recurring themes have emerged during the past three months of this pandemic. One of them is a growing appreciation for parks and recreation facilities, especially with the nicer weather.
It was great when golf courses opened up on May 15 and campgrounds were open on June 1. When they opened again, it gave us something to look forward to.
Then it was the playground structures that opened up, allowing people to use everything from school playgrounds to outdoor fitness sites, such as the great Fresh Air Fitness in Woodlawn Regional Park.
One of the busiest areas in Estevan in the past couple of weeks has been the upgraded Dennis Moore Centennial Park in central Estevan. The play structures that were added to the park have proven to be a hit, and it’s going to be even more popular now that the spray park is open for kids to use.
Yes, the park is the shiny new thing for recreation facilities in Estevan, but with the additions that have been made, it’s likely to be busy for a long time to come.
Part 1 of Phase 4 also includes outdoor sports facilities, meaning that soccer pitches, football fields, baseball diamonds and other sites can open, and outdoor sports seasons could begin soon.
This is welcome news for those that had been wondering whether there would be a baseball or softball season. Youth sports leagues might not have as many people, due to summer vacations for many families, and the financial toll of the pandemic, but it’s great that outdoor summer sports organizations were so patient.
But there’s one other amenity that will be able to open this summer, and it should make Estevan residents very happy: playpark programs.
The Estevan playpark program is brilliantly simple, but it’s one that we should be very proud of. It provides daily access to creativity, exercise and recreation for young children for free each year from early July to late August.
And they are a source for employment for young people each year. Considering the number of young people left unemployed this summer, a program that creates jobs for young adults has to be viewed as a good thing.
It would be a very weird summer indeed to not have the Rusty Duce, Hillcrest, Hillside and Churchill Playparks open for the roughly eight-week season.
We don’t know how long it will be before indoor sites such as arenas can open and resume their valuable services. Given the provincial government’s penchant for having at least two weeks between phases, it likely won’t be until July 6 at the earliest. And once they open, who knows how they’ll be able to operate.
But at least we have these important outdoor facilities at our disposal in the meantime.
It would have been nice to have the playground equipment and other outdoor recreation sites in Estevan and other communities open earlier. Sure, we understand why they weren’t open, and the weather hasn’t always been the nicest this spring, especially with those windy days.
But with the schools closed to in-person learning and the kids not as busy as they normally would be in May and June, time spent outdoors would be much better than time spent indoors, outside of the time spent learning.
Of course, it was the province and not the city that dictated when playground structures would be accessible.
Everything is going to be different this year. Going to a park is a different experience. When you get there, you’re greeted with all of these signs reminding you of the different world we live in.
But we can still go to a park and let our kids run around and enjoy the play structures and frolic in a paddling pool and use their imagination and just be kids.
And for adults, we get to get out and socialize and enjoy the great outdoors.
We can still play golf. We can go camping.
At times like this, we remember how important recreation and exercise really are. Let’s make use of them as much as we can this summer.
