In my line of work as a weekly news journalist, there鈥檚 a hefty amount of repetition that comes with the job.
Hey, it comes with the territory when your 鈥榖eat鈥� is rural Saskatchewan.聽 This is completely understandable given the area that I cover and the number of years that I鈥檝e been doing it.聽 (鈥淚t鈥檚 not the years, it鈥檚 the mileage,鈥� 鈥� Indiana Jones)
I鈥檝e grown to love covering the annual events that dot the Outlook and surrounding Lake Diefenbaker area and help add to everyone鈥檚 quality of life.聽 Whether it鈥檚 things like Canada Day celebrations (well, not this year鈥檚), Remembrance Day ceremonies, or unique-to-Outlook events such as Santa Claus Day every December, there鈥檚 always something to capture and it rarely feels like actual work from my end.
There鈥檚 one event in particular that I鈥檝e come to adore in the last half-decade or so 鈥� Outlook鈥檚 Community Appreciation Awards.聽 This yearly occurrence sees a spotlight shone on a small handful of the town鈥檚 best and brightest, be they volunteers, a dedicated local organization, or a business that goes above and beyond.
The event started long ago as a banquet for the yearly Citizen of the Year award recipient, but it was enhanced almost ten years ago to add three other award winners to the bill; Business, Youth, and Group of the Year.聽 Thus, the Community Appreciation Awards were born.
I鈥檒l preface this by saying that I do enjoy the actual award banquets when the evening arrives each year, but what I look forward to the most are the weeks leading up to it because it allows me the time to speak to each recipient and interview them for special front-page profiles in this newspaper.聽 These interviews I鈥檝e conducted over the years have gone down as some of my favorite conversations with a handful of Outlook鈥檚 dedicated and standout citizens, businesses and groups, including citizens such as John McPhail (2014), Maureen Weiterman (2016), and Brent Larwood (2019), or businesses and groups such as the Outlook Funeral Chapel (2018), the Outlook Fire Department (2018) and AG Foods (2019).
I鈥檝e learned new things about some of the people, groups and businesses that I鈥檝e known for years, and I always appreciate getting a more well-rounded picture of who someone is or what a business or community group is all about at the end of the day.
Then we arrived at 2020, and the Covid pandemic struck a critical blow to this year鈥檚 edition of the Community Appreciation Awards.
I believe things had reached the point in March where the nomination forms had gone out and the deadline had actually passed before the pandemic pretty much caused life in general to grind to a halt in some circles.聽 Obviously, such an event couldn鈥檛 go forward due to the guidelines of social distancing and only having X amount of people under one roof.
Time went on and things have gotten a little better as far as the pandemic goes (peaks and valleys, I鈥檝e come to accept), but there鈥檇 been no word on the state of the awards from the Outlook & District Chamber of Commerce.聽 Then I read a question on Facebook that specifically asked about the event, and it was said that it was cancelled due to the pandemic.
Not postponed or set to be rescheduled to a later date 鈥� just outright cancelled, at least according to the comment I read.
I can鈥檛 help but ask, why does it have to be cancelled?聽 Of course, there鈥檚 no way you鈥檙e going to be able to organize the same kind of awards banquet that has happened in the past; not only due to the guidelines surrounding Covid, but the Outlook Civic Centre is going to be persona non grata soon because of extensive renovations.聽 But the question still remains 鈥� why does it absolutely *have* to be cancelled for this year?
If there鈥檚 anything good that the pandemic has shown, it鈥檚 that we鈥檙e a very resilient and creative society when it comes to retooling and revamping events that were originally on the chopping block.聽 Sure, we couldn鈥檛 have the typical high school graduation ceremonies for the respective classes of 2020, but I鈥檇 argue that the community parades seen in the likes of Outlook and Dinsmore were a lot more memorable and surely a lot more fun.
Do we 鈥榬etool and revamp鈥� Outlook鈥檚 Community Appreciation Awards?聽 Maybe as an online event to be broadcast on Facebook or YouTube?聽 Perhaps it鈥檚 held closer to the end of 2020 to make it a year-end sort of celebration?聽 Does the Chamber of Commerce maybe hand over the reigns to someone else or perhaps a formed committee?聽 Maybe the people of Outlook and surrounding area vote on the recipients and there鈥檚 a 鈥榮urprise reveal鈥� element to it?
All valid questions, but unfortunately no answers to them right now.
Maybe I鈥檓 grasping at straws here and maybe the right move is to wait until 2021, but I just feel that the pandemic has already taken enough away from us.聽 Yeah, you can take our grad ceremonies or the right to sit in a crowded movie theater, but I still believe that the rightful citizens, businesses and groups in this community deserve to have that spotlight shone on them.聽 Even if it has to be done in a different and unique fashion.
It鈥檚 been a year seemingly full of negativity.聽 It just feels right to do something to cast a light in all that darkness.
For this week, that鈥檚 been the Ruttle Report.
