A sudden spurt in volunteer support was certainly welcomed and this year’s version of the Boundary Dam Beach Bash was deemed a definite success by Woodlawn Regional Park business manager Aaron-Lee Soparlo.
It was the sixth annual bash, but the first one to be held under the co-ordination efforts of the regional park administration and management team, and it appears as if the transfer went rather seamlessly without major glitches.
“It was an awesome day, for organizers and because of the weather which was nearly perfect for an event like this,” said Soparlo, referring to the light breezes and temperatures in the mid 20 C range.
“Last year we had seven beach volleyball teams competing for the prizes, this year there were 12 and interest is growing to the point we may have to hold that tournament over two days, just to get it in. This year we added one court to make certain we could get the games in,” she said.
The evening program including the beer gardens and entertainment from two bands, Men Without Shame and Rock Candy, was well attended, and a fireworks display midway through the evening, by Prairie Sky Fireworks out of Regina, capped off a busy day.
“We had Chris Funk, a magician, performing in the afternoon and he dazzled the adults as well as the kids,” Soparlo said with a laugh.
“The kids enjoyed the bouncy castle, a treasure hunt, the Zorb ball and, of course, the general beach activities,” she added.
Food service trucks were busy throughout the day, with a few having to make quick runs into Estevan to pick up even more food supplies.
“I don’t have the admission numbers immediately available, I’m still running around doing some detail work after the cleanup, but I would say between 1,000 and 1,500 people would be a good estimate on attendance.”
The clean up did go smoothly too, thanks to Estevan Minor Football volunteers who were given the rights to the recyclable bottles and cans as part of their reward for pitching in.
Park staff numbers about 20, and Soparlo said an event such as this requires about 100 community volunteers (not counting for the setup and teardowns) in order to allow it to run smoothly, which is about what they got following a last minute appeal for help.
“Of course, we had RCMP onsite and in the area all day, which was greatly appreciated and we had a professional security team here as well, and they had a handle on the beer garden crowd and there were no real incidents. The shuttle bus service was used,” she said.
The new stage at the beach site came in handy throughout the day, especially for the evening’s entertainment which resulted in both bands being brought back for encores.
Any profits made will be directed towards a capital project or two at the Woodlawn Regional Park, Boundary Dam site.
“We are not sure yet exactly what project we’ll tackle. The board of directors haven’t met to decide that yet, and we haven’t been able to complete the financial breakdown yet, but that’s what the plans were going into this,” Soparlo said.
