When plans were first being put together for the 2023 edition of South of the Bridge Day, one of the major changes saw the event moved to little-used Kinette Peter Pan Park on Coteau Street West.
That decision proved to be a very, very popular one on Saturday, with the annual celebration of all things South Hill drawing hundreds of visitors throughout the day.
“I think we’ve probably had the best turnout we’ve had since we’ve been doing this,” said Crystal Froese chair of the South Hill Community Association. “We’ve had so many young families come today, which is so great to see. Kids are getting their bikes decorated, the fire truck is here, we have a constable from the police station that has been handing out frisbees… there’s so much going on and it’s so much fun.
In the past, the event had been held in the parking lot next to South Hill Fine Foods. Rather than setting up on baking tarmac, the move to a tree- and shade-filled park immediately paid off as folks took advantage of the beautiful day to hang out on the grass and just enjoy themselves.
“I don’t think a lot of people know about the beauty of Kinette Peter Pan Park, the trees here are unbelievable, the shade is so nice,” Froese said. “So we’re drawing some attention to a cool little playground that needs some TLC, and we’ve been getting ideas from people who have come by, too, things that’ll help the park become even nicer.”
Some of those ideas surrounded big ticket improvements like a water park or splash pad, with others looking for more accessibility, more play structures, more picnic tables… plenty of ideas that could turn Peter Pan Park into something special.
The event was supported by the Friendly City Optimist Club, who were on hand to sell drinks and hot dogs, but other than that, everything involving South of the Bridge Day was completely free -- including the wildly popular South Hill Heritage Trolley Tour.
“it’s about eight or nine stops highlighting some of the history on South Hill and the trolley has been full all day, so that’s turned out really well,” Froese said.
Another popular event was the scavenger hunt, which saw youngsters checking out sites on South Hill and vying for prizes.
All in all, the event was once again an undeniable success, offering another sampling of late-spring enjoyment in Canada’s Most Notorious City.
“It’s just a nice day for families to come out and have fun without having to spend a whole bunch of money,” Froese said.
Here are some of the sites from a beautiful afternoon, and be sure to check the South Hill Community Association on Facebook for regular updates on what they have coming up in the future.
