Dear Editor
It was with great regret that the partners - City of North Battleford, Town of Battleford and the Battlefords United Way - had to make the hard decision to cancel BridgeFest 2012. The sudden extreme rain made the outdoor venue too dangerous for our communities to come and enjoy what sas anticipated to be a fun family day. Other venues and moving the event were discussed in depth, but the safety of the public was of utmost priority. The fourth annual event was to take place Aug. 25.
The committee would like to thank the many volunteers who helped with the planning stages and with the setting up and taking down of the event itself. Our community business partners have show tremendous support and we would like to acknowledge them and offer a big thank you for their continued sponsorships to make the event possible to help bridge our two communities. We wish to extend gratitude towards our dedicated volunteers and business sector over the last four years.
Although the event costs are high, the committee had established a reserve fund at the start of BridgeFest for just such an occurrence. BridgeFest was originally set up as a "stand alone" event and operates on its own expenses and operating account and hence this will not affect the daily operations of the partners.
The event itself has become a staple in our community and we look foward to the planning stages for BridgeFest 2013. The committee, although disappointed, is gearing up to start future plans and rely on the ongoing support of the community and businesses.
Mayor Ian Hamilton (North Battleford)
Mayor Chris Odishaw (Battleford)
Mira Laprell-Elliott (Executive Director, BUW)
