New York may be the city that never sleeps, but Estevan has become the city that barely takes a nap now and then. The Energy City is certainly living up to its moniker this year and a big part of the near-continuous action scenes have been the numerous and varied community programs that have rolled out and continue to roll out for the benefit of children, adults and seniors. While the oil patch continues to rule the day time and night time scheduling within the work-a-day world, Estevan can certainly boast of a very ambitious schedule of activities to keep the creative juices flowing within the population. Development programs, and just plain fun stuff that you might want to do during the summer, have gone a long way to keeping our people busy. This isn't just a summer time thing either - this city can take pride in the fact that its citizens continue to be engaged during the fall and winter too. One example of what can be accomplished in the city with the assistance of some organized leadership and a budget is the summer playpark program. It's been a mainstay within this community for decades and those who are committed to keeping it in the forefront of our summer deserve our recognition from time-to-time. The City of Estevan is committed to making these programs work each and every summer and every year a talented team of young leaders come forward to make it happen. The pay is limited, but the rewards aren't always in the form of cash. Most often the positive results are found in the fact that a solid summer program is available for all kids within the community, whether they're regulars or just here visiting for awhile. They love it. Our wading pools, playground equipment (much of it provided by ambitious service organizations) and picnic areas are filled up on summer days throughout the year and even rain can't stop the action. Keeping children occupied throughout the summer break is not easy, but these programs certainly take a lot of pressure off parents and caregivers. The fact that Estevan's playpark program was expanded this year to include a new park is testimony to the fact that this city and its leisure services knows a good thing when it sees it and now needs to increase and improve an already popular product. Estevan's playpark programming continues to be the benchmark for summer activities for children and it's heartening to see so many other camps, seminars, workshops and playtime activities evolving throughout the summer too. This makes Estevan a place where it might even become difficult to grab a nap. Look out New York!
