The time has come once more for the Boys and Girls Club of Williams Lake and District to host their annual summer street party on Wednesday, Aug. 21.
A longtime tradition, this year’s street party will have a carnival theme and, as always, will be completely free for the public to attend. The event starts at 5 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon and goes until 8 p.m.
This year the event is being organized by program assistant Angela Hance, this year’s summer student for the club, and operations co-ordinator Alexandra Weiand who has been with the club since April. Both Weiand and Hance were attracted to the club through previous work experience and the overall focus on working directly with children.
“I just love the people I work with, I love the kids we get to work with, I like being able to make a difference, even if it’s just a small thing that we take for granted,” Weiand said.
Hance agreed with that sentiment even more so as her own children are involved with the club’s summer programs.
The idea of the street party’s theme of an old-fashioned carnival this year comes from Hance herself.
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To this end, they’ll have many carnival-themed games like ring toss and balloon popping set up where children and adults can take part in and win tickets that will ultimately be used for a raffle at the middle-to-end of the night.
The prizes at this draw will be made of donations by local businesses and suitable for all ages keeping with the family angle.
In addition to carnival games, Hance said they’ll have a dunk tank run by the Williams Lake Fire Department, bouncy castles from Hattie and Amos Entertainment, an RC race car track managed by the Cariboo Chilcotin Child Development Centre amongst other activities like photo booths and three-legged races.
They’ll also have information booths set up for children and parents including ones run by B.C. Parks, the Cariboo Chilcotin Conservation Society, Williams Lake Pride and others, Hance said. Weiand added some, like CCCS and the Williams Lake Field Naturalists will be bringing things to look at like pelts, skulls and living animals.
Courtesy of Cariboo GM, meanwhile, will be the Grillverado barbecue attendees can access by donation. Cariboo GM’s Rick White will be flipping the burgers for the night.
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For Weiand, however, the standout moment of the evening is the planned water balloon fight with members of the Williams Lake RCMP detachment.
“We’re having the annual RCMP water fight which means that you get to throw water balloons at police officers, which is not something that one gets to do very often, so I am going to be taking advantage,” she said, adding donations will be accepted to go toward feeding the youth who make use of the club on a regular basis.
Also during the party, they’ll be handing out food tickets for their upcoming family movie night in Herb Gardener Park on Sept. 6.
patrick.davies@wltribune.com
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