OUNGRE — The Oungre Memorial Regional Park opened a new season with another successful Dr. Brown Fundraiser.
About $75,000 will go into park operations and maintenance, thanks to the ongoing support of local businesses and individuals, said fundraising committee chairwoman Loran Tosczak.
"This year, a lot of the money is going to go into the swimming pool. We are going to update the changerooms and the tile in the hot tub, install new diving boards – the structures and the platform itself," Tosczak said.
"Summer is very busy for us. I think one of the biggest attractions to the park is the pool. So, it's nice to be able to put some money into it and keep that pool [up to date]. We offer swimming lessons every summer, so a lot of campers come year after year for swimming lessons. Our pool is shaded, it's heated, it's indoors."
This year's fundraiser theme was Decades, and many guests took an opportunity to dress in their favourite historic era.
"Quite a few people came dressed in different decades attire. We had hippie style, we had millennials, the '90s and early 2000s clothes, I was dressed in a poodle skirt," Tosczak said. "It was fun to see participation and everyone dressing up.
"Our meal was delicious. We tried something new this year – a Ukrainian-themed supper with sausage, cabbage rolls and lots of yummy salads, that was catered by Spilchuk Meats from Estevan. That delicious meal started everyone off in a good mood for our auction, which went very well."
About 150 people showed up for the event on Saturday. While it wasn't a sold-out crowd, Tosczak said people were very supportive.
"It was a very busy weekend, but we are very happy with what we made and what will get back to the park," Tosczak said. "The rink was full, and it was great. We had lots of support."
The committee received 111 silent auction items and 95 live auction items.
New this year was the VIP table sale, which was donated by the park manager and allowed the buyer to eat first. Richardson Pioneer out of Weyburn was the winner.
On behalf of the organizing committee, Tosczak thanked everyone involved.
"Thanks, everyone for coming and donating the items. It's pretty awesome to have our small-town fundraiser year after year that we can get in 200 items to sell for an auction. That's great community support," Tosczak said.
The Oungre Memorial Regional Park was founded in 1968 on a site that had been a gathering place named Foster's Grove, which was a spot for school events and church picnics for people from miles around. The OMRP remains a vital part of the surrounding communities, and the Dr. Brown committee strives to promote community involvement where families and future generations can gather through activities offered at OMRP.
The committee members for the past 30 years have volunteered countless hours to raise funds for their community park. The funds raised always go directly back to the park to help pay their capital expenses and continued maintenance.
