ESTEVAN — The Estevan Playparks and Paddling Pools, a long-time summer tradition in Estevan, is going to begin in early July.
Four playparks will be open this year: Hillcrest, Churchill, Hillside and Rusty Duce. The latter is in the Pleasantdale area. Each has an assigned play leader: Rachel Knoll (Hillcrest), Katie Milbrandt (Churchill), Jersey Hirkala (Hillside) and Madison Flaman (Rusty Duce).
Parks will be open for crafts, activities and games from 10:30 a.m. to noon and swimming from 1-5 p.m., from Monday to Friday, except for holidays. There will also be occasional night swims and Saturday swims at the paddling pools on an alternating basis during the season, while a giant slip and slide will be at Royal Heights Veterans' Memorial Park a handful of times in July and August.
This year will mark the first time since 2019 that the Churchill paddling pool will be open for the full season. It reopened midway through last year's season after being shut down due to a restoration project.
Each week will have a different theme: Bugs and Butterflies (July 3-7), Around the World (July 10-14), Superhero Training (July 17-21), Dinosaurs (July 24-28), Tropical Paradise (July 31-Aug. 4), Bubbles (Aug. 8-11), Down on the Farm (Aug. 14-18) and Mystery Week (Aug. 21-25).
A pancake breakfast is slated for July 20 at Churchill Park from 10 a.m.-noon.
The playpark program is open to all children under the age of 11. Children six years or under must be accompanied by a supervisor over the age of 15.
Paddling pools are for children ages zero to 11. No running is allowed on the pool deck, and diving, swearing and horseplay are also not permitted.
Children are asked to clean off sand before entering a pool. No food or drinks are allowed on the pool deck, and glass containers cannot be around the pool area. Misuse of toys will not be allowed, and harassment or bullying will not be tolerated.
