Families spent their Canada Day afternoons outside at parks, with no organized festivities for the holiday. (Josh Ryan/battlefordsNOW)

By Josh Ryan

National holiday

Battlefords residents enjoy quiet Canada Day

Jul 2, 2020 | 2:15 PM

Despite annual Canada Day celebrations being cancelled in the Battlefords, families took advantage of the outdoors on the holiday.

Parks and playgrounds were full of kids in the afternoon, finding different ways to enjoy the country’s birthday in light of the usual festivities being cancelled due to COVID-19 precautions. Battleford resident Leanne Wearan and her family were hoping to see fireworks, but still enjoyed her daughter’s eighth birthday.

“It’s a bummer to not have the fireworks, but we tried to make the best of it,”

Families like the Wearan’s enjoyed playground time on Canada Day. (Josh Ryan/battlefordsNOW)

Wearan said they usually enjoy the light show from their backyard, but the only major plans they’ve had to change because of the pandemic occurred at other points this summer. July 1 is always a quiet family affair.

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“So, we didn’t cancel anything for today,” she said. “We usually don’t do much.”

The skate park was another spot frequented throughout the day for families. Demi Opwam said they were able to enjoy some small scale fireworks at a friend’s home out in Sweetgrass First Nation.

“We didn’t have anything planned,” she said. “I have a six-year-old son, and he really enjoyed that.”

(Josh Ryan/battlefordsNOW)

As someone with First Nations heritage, Opwam has some conflicting emotions about Canada Day, but is grateful to call Canada home.

“There’s a lot of countries that don’t have it like we do here,” she said.

(Josh Ryan/battlefordsNOW)

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josh.ryan@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JoshRyanSports