ESTEVAN - One of the most popular events of the year in Estevan is set to make its return.
The Estevan Downtown Business Association's (DBA) Street Dance – selected as the Most Popular Event of the Year in the Estevan Mercury's Readers' Choice Best of Estevan Awards – will happen on July 20 at the Estevan Leisure Centre's parking lot. Saskatchewan country music singer Lisa Moen will be the entertainment.
A change of location was necessary this year due to the downtown revitalization project happening in the 1100 and 1200 blocks of Fourth Street.
"We wanted, first and foremost, to make sure that we could have this event once again, so we were really happy we were able to find a place," said Robert Godfrey with Lemon Wedge Marketing.
Godfrey noted the area has sufficient parking and it will still be a central location.
Street Dance will have a similar setup to previous years when it was held in the Tower Café parking lot and the 1100-block of Fourth. This year the stage will be set up on the north side of the leisure centre parking lot and face south. The bar will be on the western fence at the edge of the parking lot. The entrance to the event will be on the eastern side. Picnic tables will be set up in the middle.
Godfrey predicted the concert stage and the other amenities shouldn't interfere with people who want to use the Estevan Leisure Centre on July 20 and 21, since about half of the parking lot will be used.
"The area is only taking up just a portion of the parking lot, so when we were planning to move it to Affinity Place, we did measurements of the existing space on Fourth Street, and did measurements at the Affinity Place parking lot."
The available square footage is a little more than what they had on Fourth Street.
He described Moen as an "incredibly talented musician" from the Saskatoon area who has played some big shows, such as Country Thunder. She has hosted pre-concert parties and opened for big names like the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. She won the 2019 Saskatchewan Country Music Association's Person of the Year Award.
"I think people are really going to like her mix of country, pop and rock music," said Godfrey.
While trying to select the performer for this year's Street Dance, Godfrey said they reviewed a lot of videos from her live shows, and he described her as a party-starter who has a lot of energy on stage, and comes with a full band.
"They connect really well and they put on one heck of a show," said Godfrey.
Godfrey said they could still use a few more volunteers to help with working in the bar or with cleanup. Details can be found on the Downtown Business Association Facebook page.
Tickets are available at Henders Drugs in downtown Estevan. For the first time, tickets can be purchased online at tickets.downtownestevan.ca. Godfrey is confident they will have 1,000 to 1,500 people in attendance.
Funds raised during street dance go to the Downtown Business Association and the events and initiatives it offers throughout the year.
