ESTEVAN - It's wintertime, and the Estevan Public Library has something special for the patrons.
For the second year, they are offering snowshoe rentals to anyone in the community.
Branch manager Jason Redshaw said last year this new offer was really popular, and they decided to bring it in again.
"We had some snowshoes here at the library, and we were using them for programs. And then we decided to rent them out to the public," Redshaw said. "We started having those out for last winter, and they were very popular, there were a lot of really interesting trails that people would take them off to."
The library has six pairs available, with two of each large, medium and small size, which will work for many families. Each renter can take the shoes for up to three hours and enjoy a local trail of their choice.
People can book their rental in advance by calling the library to ensure snowshoes are available when they need them, or they can just check them out when they come in. Last year, snowshoes had to be quarantined after every use. This time it's more flexible, and people can use the equipment whenever it's available.
All one would need is a library card and to sign a waiver.
"The waiver is, if you damage it, you have to pay for the cost of it. And also we're not responsible for any injuries. So, we do have a legal waiver for people to sign, but we haven't had any issues at all," Redshaw said.
Last year one of the most popular spots people would choose for snowshoeing was the valley trail.
Redshaw said that even though there is not much snow on the ground, they've already received a lot of interest. And once the snow completely covers the dirt, there will be a lot of people using this service the library kindly provides to the community at no cost, alongside many other things they offer on top of traditional book rental.
Recently they hosted a successful book sale, which saw many people buying items for as little as $0.25 and bags of books for $5. They also provided the community with take-and-make gingerbread house kits, and will be featuring the works on their social media.
Redshaw said it was much larger than last year as a lot of families took advantage of the program.
The library will have different hours of operation during holidays. The library will be closed Dec. 24-28 and Dec. 31-Jan. 3. It will be open Dec. 29-30 from 9.30 a.m.-6 p.m. and will return to regular hours on Jan. 4.
"We'll be open up here during the holidays for people to come in and grab books. And during those times we are doing some take-and-makes too," Redshaw said.
For more information about the Estevan Public Library programming, keep an eye on their Facebook page.
