Anyone who has lived in Manitoba for any length of time know that the summers are the most cherished time of the year. The warm summer days coupled with sunlight well into the evening make it one of the best places to live during the summer months. And for those Manitobans who do not relish winter activities or sometimes bone chilling weather, Manitoba summers are the payoff for enduring the winters.
One of the things that makes Manitoba summers truly special are the hundreds of community events that happen across the province. Having travelled around Manitoba during my time as an elected representative, I have had the opportunity to take in many festivals in all parts of the province. What makes them particularly special is that they often are reflective of the culture or the history of the community itself. One need only think of Pioneer Days here in Steinbach which pays tribute to the early Mennonite settlers or the Icelandic Festival in Gimli which celebrates that community’s close connection to the Icelandic culture.
And while the nature of these community celebrations is as diverse as our province itself, there is one common thread that ties them all together. And that is that they are only made possible because of the thousands of people across the province that volunteer to organize and plan. It takes an army of individuals, sometimes working months in advance, to ensure that these festivals happen each year. And often, it is many of the same people who step up year after year to make sure that an annual community celebration can occur.
Whether it is helping to organize a parade or coordinate a street party or help to stage a music festival, the vast majority of people who are involved with these events are unpaid volunteers. They are giving of their own precious summertime to help make their community stronger and, importantly, to create memories for those who live there. While there has sometimes been discussion of trying to quantify the value of all these volunteer hours, it would be impossible. And regardless, the volunteers who we see wearing the bright shirts and carrying clipboards at the events are not doing it for recognition or for reward. It is simply because they want to give back to the community and, hopefully, because it is an enjoyable experience.
This year, like every year, some of these events have been disrupted by the one thing that volunteers and planners cannot control, the weather. There are few things that are as disheartening as to see so many hours of preparation be impacted by weather that either disrupts planned activities or causes them to be cancelled all together. Sometimes the disruption is only temporary but the past couple of years have seen more significant events. The forest fires of last year (and resulting smoke warnings) and the flash flooding this year, made some events either impossible to host or just simply not a priority. And then the volunteers who were normally busy with fairs, quickly found new ways to volunteer to help those impacted in their region or communities. Such is the nature of volunteers.
With school on summer break the summer is moving into full swing, I want to thank the many community volunteers who have already or will be making it a special time at local community fairs and festivals. You truly are the energy that powers Manitoba summers.
