ESTEVAN — Fun and festive, Christmas in the Park attracted many families to the Doug Third building on Sunday.
Once again, ahead of the holiday season, Woodlawn Regional Park put together a great community event, which offered something to do for everyone.
Outside, kids could play road hockey with the Estevan Bears, and families lined up to enjoy horse and wagon rides led by Stan Milford through the park trails. A fire pit was organized on-site for people to warm up while watching kids play.
Inside, Southern Plains Co-op was serving free hotdogs and hot chocolate so nobody would leave the event cold or hungry.
Santa stopped by to listen to kids' Christmas wishes and Wanda Harron was taking pictures as they visited. The Estevan Art Gallery and Museum also entertained young guests with Christmas crafts.
Park business manager Maureen Daoust said Christmas in the Park went really well.
"It's awesome, we have a good turnout. The wind could go away a little bit, but other than that we are doing good," Daoust said. "We have lots of the same groups or organizations that either come back and volunteer or they're paid services, so everything goes smooth."
Following the event was the fireworks at dusk, which kicked off the Festival of Lights at the Woodlawn's main campground.
Forty-nine businesses, organizations and groups took part in the Festival of Lights this year, which started on Dec. 17 and will continue until Jan. 1, 2024. People can drive through displays any evening. All of the displays are on timers, so they come on once it gets sufficiently dark and run for five to six hours.
New this year is Christmas music the park added to the event. They purchased an FM transmitter, so when guests drive into the park, they can tune into the 88.9 FM station on their radio, which will be playing Christmas music, as well as greetings and gratitudes from the park.
Daoust said this is the first time they are trying it out. They hope to offer their participants the opportunity to record greetings as well moving forward. The park also will be able to use the technology throughout the year for such events as their outdoor movie nights and more.
Daoust thanked everyone involved with Christmas in the Park and the Festival of Lights, as it wouldn't be possible without the support and participation of the community, and wished everyone a happy holidays.
