Weekly newspapers here on the prairies of Canada are a fixture of many communities, and Outlook is certainly no exception.
The truth is that at the young-at-heart age of 112 years old, we're the oldest business in town that's still operating to this day. (knocks on a whole bunch of wood)
We're operating because of what we do for a living, and what we do for a living is cover the happenings and goings-on of everything taking place in this community and the surrounding Lake Diefenbaker region. We're very good at what we do, and I'm very proud of the work that my coworkers and I do on a weekly basis for our readers both in print and online.
And then the pandemic happened.
Our offices were certainly not immune to the aftermath that resulted due to COVID-19. Gone were the days spent in the office, replaced with working from home. Hey, the truth is as long as I've got a stable internet connection and my phone's been charged, I can probably do a sizable amount of my job from just about anywhere. Maybe even on an all-expenses-paid vacation to Australia or Ireland? No? Dang, I tried.
That's not to say that life didn't find a way to move on during the pandemic. I can remember a lot of unique stories that came out of it and a lot of events that had to be "retooled" and ended up becoming all the more memorable. No, it's not like life stopped; not by a long shot. But it just felt like things were on an alternate course or direction; still headed the same way, just taking a back road instead of the main highway to get there.
That was 2020 and much of 2021.
And then the events of the past week happened.
If you will, allow me to recap what my schedule has been like for the past seven days.
Tuesday: I'm at the Rec Plex in town, watching Terrance Littletent perform some eye-grabbing hoop dancing, and this time he's got a sidekick as part of the show, Chancz Perry, who's grabbed the kids' attention with some damn fine hip-hop moves. It's cool that Littletent is back in town, just a little less than a year after he was here for Canada Day last July. This performance I'm watching is a lot more lighthearted and youthful since it's aimed at students, but it's still pretty cool to witness.
Wednesday: The water, she flows! I'm standing above the new marina at Sandy Shores Resort with about four dozen other folks, watching as the land is broke and water spills down into the land, slowly but surely filling up and making the new marina take shape. This resort has really turned a corner, and it's grabbing a lot of attention. I think it's great because as important as it is and as much as people depend on it, Lake Diefenbaker is honestly one of the most underrated bodies of water not only in the province, but across Canada.
So that was my Tuesday and Wednesday of last week. Skipping ahead, here's more journal-esque entries about my travels and activities during the weekend...
On Friday here at the office, when it's time for most people to retire for the day, that's when I became the most busy. First it was off to the food trucks so Brendon and I could grab some supper (Outlook Locker Plant, you rock!), then it was back to the office, and then we grabbed our tickets and set out to grab our seats for the first Equinox Theatre production in town since 2019.
On Saturday, it was back to the museum for the car show, then we grabbed some grub, and then I had a little bit of a detour that took me out of town for a while. I had to drive back down to Sandy Shores Resort to take more photos of the new marina. Yes, I was already there on Wednesday covering news of the announcement, but I needed....well, you'll see when the story hits the web.
Coming back to town, Brendon and I were at the Legion Hall for the Ice Hawks supper and awards night, and then ended things by heading over to the north end of Franklin Street for the street dance, where Bad Influence showed some serious chops.
That was a glimpse into my weekend. Anyone wanna pair along with me next time? Only thing is you'll need a coffee or three to keep up and a good amount of time.
The events that took place over the last week would've been a pipe dream two years ago. A presentation by a First Nations artist to all three schools under one roof? An outdoor event signalling the progress of a major development? A weekend that literally depends on large crowds milling about together? Dude, there's no way any of that would've happened in 2020, and probably the first half or so of 2021, for that matter.
But these events DID happen. People were there, they milled about, they interacted, and they enjoyed themselves. There was no discussion about a damn virus and I think I saw all of two people during the weekend who chose to wear masks.
What I saw was a community filled with people who are ready to move on with their lives and ENJOY THINGS AGAIN. The car show, the food trucks, the street dance, the live theatre shows, all of it. Judging by the turnout to all these events, people were aching to live their lives again. It was a great thing to see, and an excellent story to witness through the lens of my camera.
I think the beauty in all of this is the fact that this is only the end of May. I'm looking forward to seeing what the next few months bring. Whatever comes in June, July and August, I'm ready and I'll be armed with my trusty Canon.
Well done, citizens of Outlook and area. Let's move on and LIVE again, shall we?
For this week, that's been the Ruttle Report.
