Smiling faces, bright blue skies, and warm weather greeted the crowd at Moose Jaw Diversified Services on July 21, as the first annual Summer Festival kicked off with great success.
The Summer Festival was organized by the newly formed Participant’s Committee, formed by participants within the organization to help improve programming, and was set up as a fundraiser to help raise the funds needed to upgrade service areas.
These service areas help provide opportunities for participants at Diversified Services and include business and classroom facilities to improve the community impact of the organization.
The first Summer Festival turned out to be a great success, and everywhere you looked you saw smiling faces, dancing, and positive comments about the different activities.
Moose Jaw Express/MooseJawToday.com asked a couple of the participants what their favourite part of the festival was, and the answer was unanimous: “All of it!”
There were numerous booths set up, and activities included face painting, a dunk tank, pie throwing, food, a magician, and live entertainment.
Magic by Chris hosted a magic show on his first Moose Jaw Diversified Services event and was a big hit. Everywhere you went on the grounds people could be overheard talking about the show even after it was concluded.
Live entertainment was provided by the Blue Beach Band, who has been nominated for Best Saskatchewan Album. Their upbeat playlist included pieces such as Takin’ Care of Business by BTO and pieces by Johnny Cash. As a sign of their impact, participants got up and danced and after each song they were cheered on and even given some requests.
Food was provided courtesy of Diversified Services, and included hotdogs, chips, and a pop. Vending was also provided by Kona Ice, who served frozen refreshments to help beat the summer heat.
“It has been a really great day and we’re so happy with the number of people who came,” said Valerie Budd-Pritchard, Executive Director at Diversified Services.
“The entertainment has just been fabulous, Magic by Chris, the Blue Beach Band has been amazing, our face painting, and the food. People have just had a blast (and) the weather has been stellar. We are so happy to invite people into our place so they can learn about the work that we do and the people that we support.
“It’s all about inclusion and having a great day,” she added.
“The attendance was good. I do wish that we had a few more people but we understand that it’s a Friday afternoon and people work and have things to do. We did have a good attendance, and our participants loved it. The band was amazing, the magician was amazing,” the Diversified Services’ Executive Assistant said.
“Our guys had a lot of fun, and that’s what counts.”
Everyone who attended the Summer Festival can look forward to the next festival coming up in 2024, and to everyone who had to miss the first event, be sure to mark your calendars for next year’s festival.
Moose Jaw Diversified Services is located at 11 Woodlily Drive, and the main entrance is located on the west side of the building. Hours of operation are Monday to Friday between 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
To contact Diversified Services, they can be reached at 306-692-4954.
