CANORA — The Town of Canora hosted Light Up Canora COVID-Style & Shop Local Night on December 4 with the participation of local businesses and residents.
Many local businesses reported a successful day, with stores keeping busy throughout most of the day, according to Brandi Zavislak, community development officer.
“Some businesses had people lined up outside their stores as visitors from out of town were waiting to get in and shop for the great deals,” said Zavislak. “Canora was really bustling with a lot of traffic and activity from the day and into the night. I instantly recognized so many out of town shoppers visiting our local shops. The shop local promotion was really great for our business community.
“The COVID SAFE fireworks display was another huge attraction that brought at least over 500 people to view. I heard tons of comments on how spectacular the fireworks display was. We had Nutrien Ag donate and Canora Leisure Services donate over and above the funds that are normally allocated to my department.”
Messages from Yorkton, Kamsack, Melville and other communities indicated that many out-of-town residents from across the Parkland region were coming to Canora “for our spectacular lights display,” continued Zavislak. “The texts, messages and emails were pouring in to marvel at how a town of our size puts on such a great lights display. I always tell them it’s all in thanks to our hard working Public Works Department that spends a lot of time preparing and putting up the lights. I tell them my ideas, draw them out and they make it happen.
“I get messages from people from all around Canada, whether they see pictures on Facebook or they visit a loved one over the holidays, our innovative and spirited community definitely offers a one of a kind experience.”
In addition to the light displays in King George Park and at the Town Hall, there are also Christmas lights outside Canora businesses.
“Our public works department hangs the lights for all of the businesses who would like lights on their building or storefront,” explained Zavislak. “We offer this for any businesses located throughout Canora. The lights attract visitors and tourists to our community all winter long. I have many people from out of town who say they are filling up a vehicle and grabbing some Chinese food or Gabano’s Pizza for the way home. It is all positive and a great feature for our vibrant community.”
Canora’s Memorial Light Tree project to pay tribute to lost loved ones continues to grow, with a new list of tree sponsors each year
“Each tree is special and unique in its own way,” explained Zavislak. “To sponsor a small tree is $300, to do a mid-sized tree it is $600, and the large trees you see in front of the town office are well over $1,200. A man who recently passed away in Canora was very well liked and he loved the Toronto Maple Leafs. So we custom-made a Toronto Maple Leafs Tree. It is a very special way for families to remember loved ones especially during the holiday season.”
A new feature which has been brought to Canora this year is the light tunnels, which are commonly found in large cities such as Calgary and Saskatoon, but Zavislak said purchasing these tunnels was not feasible.
“They are extremely costly to purchase from our commercial lights catalogue. As I was looking at them I instantly figured out how to make them in my head. Then I went online and asked around for tarp shed frames that people had without the tarp which they wanted to donate. From there I knew we could easily make them for a fraction of the cost. We are seeing so many great family photos and many people enjoying them.”
It appears that Canora’s light displays will continue to grow in 2022 and beyond. Plans are in place to add lights to Norway Road and Daniels Drive.
“This spring we will be planting over $17,000 worth of trees along Daniels Drive and Norway Road,” shared Zavislak. “All of this is funded by The TCT Improvement Grant. As the trees along the trail mature and get bigger we will be adding lights to this area as well. We plan to branch out the displays all over town. This of course can’t happen overnight, however we look forward to great things and expansions to come.”
As the pandemic continues, the Town of Canora has been careful to host events where large crowds of people were not gathering.
“We were successful in keeping everything COVID SAFE and it went over very well. A huge thank you to everyone who visited Canora and took part in our shop local festivities. There is a ton of work that goes into this behind the scenes and it's important the members of the Town of Canora Public Works Department are recognized,” concluded Zavislak.
