PLAMONDON - Plamondon residents are going to have to wait a little while longer for any events to happen at the Plamondon Festival Centre and the community's recreation grounds.
COVID-19 forced the organizers in charge of the festival centre and the adjacent outdoor recreation space to cancel all of a long list of scheduled events last year, like the annual Plamondon Mud Bogs, graduation ceremonies, weekly family movie nights, jamborees, and holiday celebrations — and it is looking like 2021 is going to have the same fate.
Bailey Walsh at the Plamondon Festival Centre says event planners and coordinators are just going to have to watch what the government allows when it comes to not just big-ticket events, but any plans social gathering that goes against current provincial health measures.
"We don’t have any intentions of doing anything until COVID-19 comes to an end," she said, explaining that most of the tight-knit community events include dances, dinners and lots of mingling. "There has to be almost no restrictions to pull off something like the Plamondon Mud Bogs."
The annual mud bog weekend — which has been a part of the community for more than 30 years, brings in thousands of visitors to the Francophone hamlet of just 700 people. With the stands packed for the races, nightly, dances, a slow-pitch tournament, and concessions, there is a lot of activity.
Safety first
Walsh knows that the people in Plamondon really enjoy their social events every year, and are disappointed because the lack of fun-filled activities in the area is weighing them down. She knows the active community really wants to have things back to normal, but she also knows that health and safety for residents has to come first.
“People in general are just getting kind of bored, but we can’t go against the restrictions,” said Walsh.
Already in 2021, another of the community's big events has already fallen victim to the COVID rules. The annual Plamondon Sportsman Night, hosted by Plamondon Co-op, should have been held in January. The event that draws outdoor enthusiasts from across northern Alberta has been cancelled for this year.
Walsh says it likely won't be the last event to be affected, but she's hopeful there's some changes coming soon that will be cause for a celebration ... one that can be held at the local community hall.
“We’re just going to play it by ear," she said.
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