O Canada, we stood on guard for thee.
In what will go down as perhaps the most historic and iconic display of Canadian pride ever seen in Outlook, hundreds of people came together on the football field at Outlook High School on Thursday, June 15 to make up a human flag, officially kicking off the community’s Canada 150 celebrations.
The hype surrounding this unprecedented event was built up over the last few months, but while the thought of it sounded interesting on paper, no one was really sure how well it could be pulled off.
As it turned out, the idea was pulled off extravagantly as more than 700 people stood together, clad in red and white t-shirts, and formed the image of a living, breathing, proud Canadian flag.
As Conquest area resident Brent Rafoss stood in a cherry picker lift and took eye-popping aerial photos, Bounty-area farmer Dean Weldon was also on hand to take some impressive overhead shots with the help of a drone, ensuring that the human flag was captured from all angles in order to preserve this once-in-a-lifetime event for the proverbial history books.
The event took place at 1:00, and during the lunch hour, members of the public began showing up to the football field decked out in their preferred color. It wasn’t long after that students and staff from all three local schools – Outlook Elementary, Outlook High, and LCBI – showed up and put on their Canadian colors.
It was during this time of arrivals, wardrobe changes and prepping that there was something almost indescribable in the air; a mixture of excitement, pride, and the feeling that everyone at this location and at this moment in time was about to be a part of something truly historic, the likes of which will be remembered in Outlook for years, if not generations to come.
By the time everyone was clad in red or white, organizers began moving them into place; filling out the maple leaf in the center and branching out from there. It wasn’t too long before everyone was out on the field and strategically put into place.
Finally, the human flag was complete. Adults and kids alike pulled out their phones and cameras to shoot video and take selfies; doing their own part to capture this monumental event.
People turned to high-five each other. Laughter could be heard among the masses. Canadian pride swelled ten-fold.
As the cameras continued snapping away, a handful of people in the crowd felt the need to do something else to make the moment stand out even more, and that’s when the national anthem began to ring out. The first few words seemed like some solo work by a few, but within mere seconds, the hundreds standing side-by-side turned into a loud, boisterous red-and-white choir, belting out our nation’s number one hit and amplifying the magnitude of the event.
Moments later, the flag began to break apart as organizers thanked everyone for coming out. Students returned to class, others returned to the office, and the rest of them went elsewhere, but all of them left a little more proud to be Canadian.
The Canada 150 committee, comprised of Justin & Amber Turton, Delwyn & Shelley Luedtke, Donna Smith, Jordy Jones and Maureen Weiterman, couldn’t have been happier with how the human flag turned out. Serving as the kick-off to the rest of Outlook’s Canada 150 festivities, the project was undoubtedly a labor of love and a unique event that showcased the community’s Canadian pride.
With the human flag now in the record books, attention turns to the rest of the events on the Canada 150 schedule. Coming this Saturday morning at the Outlook cemetery will be the Veterans’ Memorial Ceremony organized by the Outlook branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, which starts at 10:30 and will feature a jet fly-by from the 15 Wing Moose Jaw.
