REGINA — Downtown Regina and Victoria Park were a hub of activity Saturday morning for the I Love Regina 20th anniversary celebrations.
The day featured a number of activities and entertainment in and around Victoria Park. The Farmers’ Market was there in full force and there were booths and displays set up by Regina Fire and Protective Services, Regina Transit, the Regina Public Library and others.
A number of community groups were showcased including sports, recreation and culture organizations. Among those in attendance were the Regina Rebels Cheerleading Athletics team which put on some acrobatic displays, CC Rez Q which brought along some rescued dogs and puppies to interact with the families and the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada which brought along some telescopes pointed at the spots on the sun.
At the start of the day, Run Regina staged the I Love Regina run in the 3K, 5K and 10K divisions with over 300 participants taking part.
The main stage featured plenty of multicultural entertainment. The kids enjoyed bouncy castles and other activities in the park.
Around noon hour, city of Regina officials and staff were flipping burgers at a free barbecue in Victoria Park with burgers handed out to a long lineup of residents.
This marks the 20th anniversary of the I Love Regina slogan, which was introduced during Mayor Pat Fiacco’s tenure as a way to promote community pride in the city and bring people together. Out of that came the I Love Regina slogan as well as the I Love Regina day.
"Sometimes I call the citizens of Regina a little too humble, and we need to remind ourselves how much we love our city,” said Mayor Sandra Masters to reporters. “I run into folks all the time who are fiercely proud and thrilled to be here. And so, this is really a reminder and frankly after a couple of years of not being together this kind of community connection is missing and it’s really great to see so many people out.”
