By Neil Ostafichuk
I know I’m a bit late but how was your Blossomfest weekend? I thought it stood out as one of the more jam-packed ones; certainly the weather was pretty spectacular in light of our long winter and coolish spring. There was no shortage of entertainment as well with a couple major happenings at PCSS as well as the Community Complex over the weekend. The parade was fun as we sat on the curb and watched with the same perspective as our grandchild (and even managed to snaffle a few candies myself as they bounced my way). Equally as entertaining was watching the equine cleanup crew (are they getting younger each year or is it me?) struggle to scoop up an offering with a grain shovel, only to have it scatter and roll away evasively, much to the frustration of the young lad who eventually gave up with a mighty “arrgh!”. Luckily both the Drum and Bugle Band as well as the Gymnastics Club had passed by slightly earlier thus avoiding any sticky situations. All in good fun.
I was amazed at the crowds as the streets were as full as I have ever seen for the parade as well as the street fair, in fact we had to bypass the Spirit Square booths until later but faced equally as large crowds at the Farmers’ Market and Visitors’ Centre which tallied about 500 people through their space alone. The Car Show was packed as well the following day and I had heard the children’s celebration on Monday got rave reviews. Closer to home at the Community Complex, we watched the duck races in the lazy river, clutching our tickets like a gambler at a horse race, cheering wildly for our little yellow canvasbacks (who knew they were all the same species…) only to find our numbers were close, but not close enough to one of the three winning waterfowls. I believe this fundraiser for the Creston Wave Swim Club attracts a bigger group of participants each year.
It seems we build up a critical mass each springtime with the culmination centred around Blossomfest weekend. You see all the plants hung down Main Street, parks and playing fields tidied up after a long winter, a new flagpole by the Visitors’ Centre, great new public art and various other plantings, sweepings and washings before that first major wave of visitors hits the Creston Valley. We drive in to work each morning pretty early so we get to see the main street with few, if any, cars parked on it. In all our travelling around, that drive through the centre of a town or village can be what defines an area, however fair or unfair that might seem. I have to say, over the years, we have evolved with our flowers, trees, shrubs, curbing, public art, great storefronts and a myriad of other improvements that when you view from one end to another, we stack up with the best of them. As I have seen everywhere, stores will always open and stores will always close but when you create an outstanding environment, there is a better chance for everyone to thrive. We see it with the Community Complex; we all have access to an award winning facility and because it is kept clean and in good repair, people naturally treat it with more respect and pride than if it weren’t. I believe this slow but steady growth in the valley provides an opportunity for well thought out plans and advancement rather than trying to play catch up on hasty decisions.