Winter & Wine at February’s Night Out in Whitecourt event

Every month, the Town of Whitecourt organizes an evening event for adults called Night Out in Whitecourt (NOW) with the purpose of bringing people together, getting to know each other, and welcoming new members to the community. The events are for everyone 18+ and the icing on the cake is that they are completely free.

February’s NOW event was called Winter & Wine. Held at the Whitecourt Golf and Country Club, the evening started with a walk around the course.  Out in the dark, event goers followed a lit trail marked with glow sticks giving the walk an extra special vibe as the colours glistened on the recently-fallen snow.

After the walk, everyone was invited into the country club to enjoy wine, conversation, laughter, and some cheers. Emma Harper is the recreation co-ordinator for the Town of Whitecourt and puts together each monthly event and enjoys taking part in them, too.

“The idea was just to enjoy winter and then to have a reward afterwards.  It’s nice to enjoy winter and get people outside but then also to hang out inside and have a glass of wine. The course is a nice location to take advantage of and enjoy,” said Emma.

Events included line dancing, snowshoeing, and beer or wine tasting. “Generally, it’s a pretty laid-back evening. It’s a fun time and a great date night out, too. We aren’t really partnered with Bugz & Beanerz but child care is provided on Friday nights, too, if you need somewhere to drop your children off during NOW events.”

This is the third year for Night Out in Whitecourt which offers nine to 10 monthly events per year. All events are completely free and, many times, any needed items are provided. On average, 30 community members take part, sometimes more, sometimes less, and new faces are regularly joining in, as well.

The next NOW event will take place on March 10 and will involve tobogganing on Dahl Drive hill. “We will hopefully be doing s’mores as they are supposed to be installing a fire pit there, so I think, hopefully. it will be there for March.” The nights run from 7 to 9 p.m.

Emma is always looking for more ideas for future NOW events. Any businesses who would like to offer something or any residents who have ideas to share, please give her a call at 780-778-3637 ext. 421.