The longest day of the year – also known as the Summer Solstice – was celebrated around the world on June 21, and Ladysmith added its own kick-off to summer with its Longest Day of Play event in Market Lane and Spirit Square from 5 to 7 p.m.
“It was really a great event,” said Jacqueline Neligan, executive director of Ladysmith Family & Friends LaFF.
An estimated 300 people joined in the fun, which was organized by LaFF; the Township of Ladysmith’s Parks, Recreation and Culture Department; Ladysmith Boys & Girls Club; and the Ladysmith Resources Centre.
“The intention was to get families out playing and being active together,” Neligan said, and there’s no question the event succeeded at that.
She added that Spirit Square and Market Lane are intended for just this kind of activity. “It was a great way to launch that space,” Neligan said, noting that, “The Resource Centre was actually built so we could honour that space.”
With help from the Town of Ladysmith and ParticipACTION the event highlighted the level of collaboration that goes on between community organizations that are focused on children and families.
The days may be getting shorter, now, but the list of activities for next year’s Longest Day of Play event is already in the making after the response to the first ever Longest Day event. “For sure we’re talking about what we’ll dofor next year,” Neligan said.
One of the events that was mentioned is a family dance, an idea Neligan thinks would go over well. “That would be a beautiful event,” she said.