Don’t miss the last Whitecourt Park Party of the summer, happening next month

The Town of Whitecourt created a new family-friendly event for the summer and brought in partners to help facilitate it. Along with the Rotary Club of Whitecourt, Whitecourt Crime Prevention, and the POWER Group of Whitecourt, Whitecourt Park Parties are a fun way to get out into area parks, and enjoy good conversation with neighbours and event-goers, have a hot dog, and play some games.

On Wednesday, July 20, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm, the Athabasca Park, located off Torgerson Drive, was the spot to be. A firetruck was set up at the park entrance, allowing children and adults to take a closer look and grab an educational swag bag, an RCMP vehicle, and an ambulance. Members of each emergency service talked with residents, taught them a bit about what they and their vehicles do, and had some fun in the process. There were a few extra siren blasts, giving everyone a chuckle. The sirens also helped nearby residents see what was happening, as many made their way to the park to join the fun.

Lesley Coast lives just around the corner and said it was fantastic to have something like this so close to home. “We were just here playing last night, and we saw the signs and realized this was where the party would be. We always hit different parks in this town, so it’s nice that this can come and get everybody together.”

Whitecourt having as many parks as it does makes this event easier as there are many to choose from. “We love the parks here. We go everywhere. We like bike riding around and going to different ones because many of them are in bike riding distance from us,” said Coast. She encourages residents near the next party ( August 24 at Pine Park) to take advantage. “I would say to definitely go and get some food and have some fun with your kids and meet your neighbours.”

Fay Arcand, the FCSS Program Coordinator for the Town of Whitecourt, said the partnership works well. “We’ve brought everybody to the table to make this happen. We wanted to create that atmosphere where neighbours can meet and have some fun in the sun.”

In talking with attendees, Arcand said she had heard a lot of positive feedback. “I spoke to a lady today that said it’s nice to see kids engaged, off electronics, and outside playing with just regular old-fashioned fun. It’s also that people will know their neighbours and recognize them and see if something is off in their neighbourhood, so there’s a crime prevention aspect to it as well.”

Looking out and seeing people talking and introducing themselves and playing gigantic Jenga together, Arcand said it was a beautiful sight. “That’s the feels. That’s the goal to have people, young and old, mixing and meeting. Then, maybe they might know a senior in their neighbourhood who might need snow removal this winter. It’s about community awareness and meeting your neighbours. If you know your neighbour, then if you see them, you are more likely to engage with them and are more likely to help if needed, whatever it may be.”

Under the food tent, where Rotary Club members kept everyone fed, Arcand had a survey for people to take part in. “This is a survey for FCSS. We do reporting to the province, and this is our outcome question, “as a result of Park Parties, I’ve met new people from my neighbourhood.” They put their sticker on where they would agree with that statement. As you can see, everyone’s in the positive area of the somewhat agree, agree, or strongly agree columns. The feedback was the same from our last park party too.”

During the event, Arcand said she received fantastic news from the Rotary Club of Whitecourt members. “They just let us know they will be able to financially support our series next year. They will be buying the hot dogs and the bbq goods for us. It gives us more availability to keep going with the series. It’ll be three different parks next year, and we look forward to more planning!”

Holly Astill, Whitecourt Rotary Club president, said the event was a great idea that brought out community spirit. “It brings neighbours together who maybe haven’t met each other and gets people to discover parks in Whitecourt that they haven’t been to before.”

Astill said participating in the event will help introduce the Rotary Club to the community and hopefully encourage residents to join. “Our Rotary Club is quite small, but we are very much welcomed into the community. The more we can get out into the community, partner with some other organizations, and meet the public, the more chance we have of gaining more members and people knowing who we are. So, come on down. The party is awesome! Bring your lawn chair, and bring your kids and family. Have some fun and meet not only your neighbours but community members, the Rotary Club, and the Town of Whitecourt.”

June’s park party focused on bike safety as the theme, and this month was on water safety. Staff had information on hand about picking the right-sized life jacket and colouring pages to create personalized swimsuits. Next month’s event will be on August 24, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at Pine Park (across from Hilltop High School), and will focus on back-to-school safety.