Anyone who had anything to do with Saturday’s Moose Mouse Parade should be proud.
It was terrific to see all of the community participation in the event. But the real heart-warmer was all the people, locals and visitors, lined shoulder-to-shoulder along both sides of the road, enjoying the parade.
What a difference this summer has been from last years.
Between the recent Show and Shine at the recreation centre, the Summer Stomp/Burnout and last weekend’s Sicamous Days festivities, the district, rec centre staff, the chamber and the army of volunteers working in the background to bring these events to fruition appear to have been successful in putting Sicamous back on the map – in a good way.
This improvement in local fortunes was much-needed after last year’s string of natural, water-related calamities that destroyed homes and infrastructure, crippled the local water system and brought tourism – upon which the survival of many local businesses is based – to a grinding halt. Even in the midst of it all, though, there seemed to be little doubt that Sicamous would recover.
This past weekend was evidence that the community is enjoying a rebound, and not just in response to the call of the Moose Mouse. All over the community business appeared to be bustling. Heck, Main Street has even gained two new businesses.
The massive influx of red and white licence plates was certainly a pleasant surprise with Calgary – home to many of Sicamous’ seasoned and seasonal guests – having experienced their own nightmare flooding incident.
And now, with the big events of the summer almost over, we hope all of the organizers and volunteers will have some time to breathe and relax before plans get underway for next summer’s events. Oh, and thank you for all the good, hard work.