I’m having a hard time dealing with the reality that it’s already June, I mean July. See what I mean?
Great thing about summer in any small town, at least the ones I’ve frequented, is July and August are always party months.
Celebrations abound and there is enough to keep any calendar full for some time to come.
That being said, people still associating the town’s flagship Ladysmith Days with the August long weekend take note — the celebration has been moved to August 13 and 14. There is a full slate of activities planned, so stay updated on all the action at www.ladysmithdays.com. It’s a huge community initiative that this year has had to rely more heavily on local donations after they received only a slice of what they normally get in grants.
It is a lot of work that goes into it so be sure to thank the organizers, volunteers and local businesses who make it all possible.
While Ladysmith Days may be at the forefront of a lot of people’s minds, keep in mind there is a lot of stuff going on in the coming weeks.
From the Bluegrass Extravaganza in Chemainus and British Car Show at Transfer Beach on July 16 and 17 respectively, to the numerous outdoor concerts and markets, there is no shortage of things to do.
While we are on the subject of festivals, it was brought up at a recent council meeting people are still bringing their dogs to local festivals. This is a no-no by the city’s standards, so this is your reminder to please leave Fido at home when you head out for a day of fun in the sun.
The Town of Ladysmith has released its annual report. It has a lot of insightful information and it highlights what most already know, 2010 was a crazy year for this town in terms of building and infrastructure. Check it out at the town’s website, www.ladysmith.ca under city hall/bylaws, forms, permits and reports. It can be difficult to find, I had trouble, but it is worth the navigation. Hopefully when the town’s new website is launched, it will make it a bit easier.
The report is up for discussion on July 18 at the regular council meeting. And don’t forget the next night is the Town Hall meeting which will offer the chance to address your concerns.
I attended the building of the new Brown Drive Kin Park on July 8. Even at 11:30 a.m. it was nice to see such a great turnout of volunteers willing to lend some muscle and expertise to the park. It also gives you an appreciation of the amount of planning and work that goes in to see a park get built literally from the ground up — through fundraising and building.
Speaking of parks, under less fanfare and attention, the new kids’ park at Forrest Field is in and according to the town’s top good times official Pat Durban, the ground cover should be going in July 12 and ready for play.
I have had to take my kids to the field to photograph Highlanders games and can tell you what an asset it will be to be able to have a place to keep younger kids entertained for 90 minutes.
A copy of Dolphin was dropped off at the Chronicle the other day. For people who don’t know what the Dolphin is, which included me up until last week, it is a magazine dedicated to the men and women of the Coast Guard Auxiliary. Mentioned on the front page is our own Auxiliary Coast Guard. They were commended for their work on the marina society fire back in January.
I know I am being a bit biased, but I love the picture we have on the front page this week. I went to photograph the volunteers building the new park when I heard the two kids struggling behind me. I turned to find them trying to push each other up the rock.
It was a scene that portrayed such childhood innocence that I couldn’t resist. I shot first and asked questions later, eventually finding one of the kid’s mom who gave me both of their names.
It was a great reminder of one of those cardinal rules of photography that carries over to life: Sometimes you have to turn your focus from your work to see the bigger picture.