Summer won鈥檛 officially begin for about another month, but for many people, the real start of summer is the Victoria Day long weekend.聽
Oh sure, the weekend is usual affected by the weather, with rain, a thunderstorm and/or strong winds happening at some point, but there鈥檚 still that excitement associated with May long each year.聽
For so many people, the weeks from the Victoria Day long weekend to the Labour Day long weekend are our summer, with sunny days, heat, lots of daylight and plenty of activities outdoors.聽
And for the second straight year, our unofficial start to summer is marred by uncertainty, with questions about what we can and can鈥檛 do. The limitations are slated to be eased starting in late May, but they won鈥檛 be all gone.
Fortunately, there鈥檚 still a lot to do in the Estevan area. 聽
There are the obvious attractions that are big drawing cards for the city. The Woodlawn Regional Park has steadily grown the number of amenities over the years, with two campgrounds, a golf course and numerous ways to spend your time in the great outdoors.聽
Hidden Valley Golf and RV Resort has lots of camping as well, and is always a popular area with those who live in the city and those who are visiting.聽
The Estevan Motor Speedway remains the king for circle track racing in Saskatchewan.
If you鈥檙e into watersports, you have Rafferty Dam and Boundary Dam. The latter is home to the only large mouth bass fishing in Saskatchewan. Fishing and kayaking can be found at the Souris River. 聽
We have plenty of parks to enjoy in the community, and the summer playpark program offered by the City of Estevan has been a fixture with local families for generations.聽
Once the restrictions are eased and team sports can resume, we can look forward to having all sorts of local sports to watch. Finally, teams can look forward to more than just practice. A favourite for people in many communities in the southeast region is the Saskota Baseball League, which offers high-quality senior men鈥檚 baseball. 聽
You can jump in the car and go for a drive through the Backroads of Estevan Tour, or you can capitalize on the resurrected Guided Historical Tour through downtown Estevan that showcases the community鈥檚 historical buildings and people.聽
And there鈥檚 always the famous pierced rock formations near Roche Percee for people to explore.聽
(The Saskatchewanderer is welcome to come down here at any time to take a look at all that we have to offer during the spring and summer months).聽
We鈥檝e seen a growing emphasis on outdoor recreation in the Estevan area since the pandemic began. It might be as simple as going for a walk or a jog, or it might involve making use of the growing number of trails in our area.聽
Once the new pathway system is completed in Estevan, that will give us another great reason to spend time outdoors. The new pathway system, with the money coming in from the provincial and federal governments, is one of the best announcements for Estevan this year.聽聽聽
Take a drive to other southeast communities, and you鈥檒l find attractions and activities to enjoy.
It seems like most communities in southeast Saskatchewan have a campground of some sort. Some of those campgrounds are pretty rustic and aren鈥檛 loaded with amenities, but if you鈥檙e looking for some real camping, they鈥檙e perfect.
A few communities have regional parks. We have a spectacular provincial park. Most communities have a playground for children, or a well maintained park for relaxation.
You鈥檒l even find an enjoyable game of golf in many southeast towns and villages.
If you need to spend time indoors this summer, there鈥檚 a museum or library nearby in many cases.
For the second straight summer, it appears that our opportunities to travel outside of Saskatchewan will be limited. Thankfully, though, there鈥檚 a lot in southeast Saskatchewan that鈥檚 worth exploring.聽聽
