YORKTON – The much-loved Simple Shots with Santa event is once again underway at the Ag Pavilion, with local photographer Jackie Tokarchuk behind the lens.
This year marks another heartwarming effort to spread holiday cheer while supporting a good cause, as all proceeds from the six-day fundraiser are destined for BGC Yorkton.
"The purpose of Simple Shots with Santa is to bring Christmas joy — to make everybody smile and happy. That's why we do it — to make people happy," said Tokarchuk during an interview with reporters Dec. 9.
Since its humble beginnings, the event has transformed significantly.
"The first year I started with just the stage and a handful of trees, and now we have this massive walk through," said Tokarchuk, adding, "it's grown from our little trailer with a handful of Christmas trees to now a walk through with photo ops. It's so full of Christmas magic this year — it's amazing."
Tokarchuk emphasized the impact of the fundraiser on BGC Yorkton.
"It's an amazing program. These kids are just outstanding children in the community and when we do little things like this for them it just benefits us in the long run."
Over the past five years the event has raised over $20,000 for BGC Yorkton.
The event's popularity was evident this year as it booked up in just three hours. For those who couldn't secure a spot, Tokarchuk announced that there will be walk throughs of the space scheduled for the evenings of Dec. 12, 13, 14 and 15. For hours of operation, visit the Simple Shots by Jackie Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Simpleshotsbyjackie).
"That way, if you didn't get a chance to come in ... you're able to still come through and check out the hard work of all of our volunteers because it is truly spectacular. It's amazing in here," said Tokarchuk.
Planning for the event's intricate decorations began as early as June, with community involvement playing a crucial role.
"We started making snowflakes in June. We commissioned some kindergarten classes in elementary schools to help with that," said Tokarchuk.
Tokarchuk said the goal was to create a magical atmosphere reminiscent of the department store scene in the movie "Elf."
Tokarchuk's favourite part of the event is witnessing the excitement of children meeting Santa for the first time.
"This is my favourite thing that we do — I just love it," said Tokarchuk.
Volunteer Jan Morrison also highlighted the event's growth and the community's involvement.
"It's grown exponentially with the number of days that we go and the number of hours that we put in," said Morrison, adding, "we started out for one weekend five years ago and it's just grown ever since. It's amazing to see the entire community come together with the donations we receive and the time that people put into the set up. It's incredible."
For Morrison, the Christmas spirit and the joy on children's faces are what keep her coming back.
"I come here and I see the wonder in the children's eyes. I actually teared up this morning — the first family that came in — because the little one was just mesmerized. It's amazing and I'm so blessed to be part of it."
