The Boitanio Park Children’s Festival on Saturday was, naturally, interrupted by a brief and unexpected downpour.
The fans for the inflatable toys were waterlogged, and many of the stalls flooded.
For a while it looked like the festival would have an unexpected end.
Eventually, however, the clouds parted, and the rain stopped.
After a short break to dry off as much as possible, the festival quickly picked up again.
Even with the water, it was quite busy. The park was crowded with families, all enjoying the change of weather.
There were attractions for the kids, tents selling food, and men and women advertising organizations for all kinds of great causes, recycling, pregnancy outreach, and help for the disabled.
The free family event served as a great opportunity for these organizations to get their message out to the people of Williams lake.
One such tent was being run by Julia Hodder, past president of the BC Association of Speech Language Pathologists and Audiologists.
The organization endeavours to provide educational materials, and to aid children who suffer from a large variety of speech and hearing disorders.
They also help connect these children with the professionals they need.
She spoke of the importance of her work, and how it helps children of all age groups to overcome their disabilities.
One thing the rain didn’t damage was the band equipment for the musical attraction, Barefoot Caravan.
Playing out of the Okanagan Valley, they livened up the park with numerous tunes of diverse ethnic backgrounds.
The first song was a Cree folk song, sending the strong message, what you take from the earth, you give back to the earth.
This song was followed by a French Reggae tune, then a song from the Caribbean about joy.
Even with the unforeseen intermission, the Children’s Festival was bustling.
It served as proof that the people of Williams Lake will show community spirit, rain or shine, and with good music, good food, and good people, a good time is never hard to have.