J.D. Potié
SHAWVILLE July 13, 2019
On July 13, over 100 Pontiac parents and their children gathered for fun filled festivities at Mill Dam Park in Shawville during the third edition of the town’s bi-annual park party.
Hosted by the Shawville Parents’ Voice, the event served as an opportunity for local families to celebrate their community by spending a day at the park while raising funds for charitable intiatives.
Under bright-blue, sunny skies, the majority of children migrated towards the splash pad to keep themselves cool. But with the blue shade sail set up over the large play structure on the sand pit, a vast number of kids played there as well.
According to the Parents’ Voice treasurer Patti Moffatt, the celebration is an important one for the community and one of the organization’s most significant events overall as it always brings people from the town and beyond to enjoy themselves in the same place.
Having been with the organization for seven years, Moffatt has been amazed by the noticeable progression the town has made in terms of its diversity of family activities, which has certainly helped revitalize the community.
“The Parents’ Voice started to make Shawville a better community,” she said. “And we really make a difference in the community.”
With all sorts of activities available for kids, including a big bouncy castle, a small petting zoo and a face-painting station among a plethora of other cool stuff the event had no shortage of entertainment and left most of the children smiling from start to finish.
To provide a mix of education and fun to the event, the Western Quebec Literacy Council had a tent set up of their own with plenty of activities to participate in, including colouring books, reading and a number of drum kits where kids learned how to use sound, rhythm and rhymes with math and grammar as a creative exercise.
One of the most popular attractions of the day was the ambulance on site, where kids were invited for an up close and personal look while even flicking a switch or two. A fire truck and a police cruiser were also intended to be present. However, they were both unavailable due to work-related circumstances.
“It depends on what’s going on,” she said. “Obviously, something was up and they couldn’t be here.”
In the afternoon, to liven up the atmosphere, Ottawa based music group Monkey Rock put on a show for the kids under the gazebo, leaving every one of them feeling heavily entertained by the end of the day.
Set up under a large tent in the middle of the park, Lions Club Members doled out hot dogs, hamburgers and iced-cold beverages among other sweets and treats to keep anyone from going too hungry or thirsty throughout the day.
With so many people packing the space at the park party, Moffatt was grateful for the dedicated participation to the community’s events.
“It’s been a really good turnout,” she said. “I guess the weather’s been great, so it helps.”
While the event didn’t generate any monetary profit for the organization, it still remained a success considering the amount of families who showed up and had a good time, Moffatt said.
