ESTEVAN — Estevan’s downtown indulged in Christmas atmosphere on Saturday.
The second edition of the Miracle on Fourth, presented by the Estevan Downtown Business Association, was as good and maybe even a bit better than the inaugural event, said Robert Godfrey with Lemon Wedge Marketing, which is a part of the DBA and helped organize the event.
"Saturday was incredible. It was just a really great day," Godfrey said following the event.
Christmas activities and great deals offered by the stores attracted many people to Estevan's downtown. Guests were invited to do crafts with the Estevan Art Gallery and Museum, enjoy free hot chocolate and hot dogs, courtesy of Estevan Lions, take hayrides by Graham Collie, sponsored by Henders Drugs, play street hockey with Estevan Steelhaus U18 AAA Bears and attend two free matinees at the Orpheum Theatre, sponsored by Jenny Joans, A&A Jewellery and Jewels & Jems Furniture Redesigns. The latter was attended by over 300 people, Godfrey said, and other activities were a hit too.
"We had great feedback from everyone we talked to … Everyone was just really happy to be able to come out and celebrate Christmas and get ready for the holiday season," Godfrey noted.
The original plan included having the Estevan Bruins play street hockey with the kids. Unfortunately, they couldn't make it due to a scheduling conflict, nor could the volunteers from the Estevan Comprehensive School student representative council. Despite these minor changes, the day went really well, with many people enjoying the beautiful weather, holiday festivities and Christmas shopping opportunities. And Godfrey noted that they were really thankful to have members of the U18 AAA Bears come in and participate in the street hockey.
The DBA members participating in the Miracle were also happy with the turnout, Godfrey said.
"I had a chance to stop in with most of the Downtown Business Association members, and they were all thrilled with how well the day went," he said.
The weather co-operated, and the City of Estevan also helped make sure everything worked out well for the big community event.
"A big thank you to the City of Estevan and Norm Mack and his crew. Before the event, they went and scraped the road, removed all the snow and they also applied a liquid ice melt product, so that Fourth Street was in really great condition. It wasn't slippery, and it was perfect for all of the people that came out. It was perfect for the horses. And we're so thankful for that," Godfrey shared.
As the second edition of the Miracle on Fourth was still underway, the DBA already started collecting feedback and suggestions from the public and businesses for the next year. And while this year's event checked all the boxes, they still want to make it bigger and better next time.
"We're already planning for next year. We've got a few ideas of new things that we're going to add, ways that we can make it bigger, ways that we can have even more fun in downtown Estevan," Godfrey said.
"On behalf of the entire Downtown Business Association, we want to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and thank everyone for coming out and supporting the local businesses. We look forward to seeing everyone at Miracle on Fourth Street in 2023."
