The organizers of the Cowichan Lake Santa Parade regret to announce the cancellation of both the 2020 Santa Parade and the events that typically take place at Saywell Park after the parade. Given that the parade and further events draw well over 50 people, we cannot take the risk, especially with the future of COVID-19 still so uncertain. However, we love helping our community members get into the Christmas spirit and now, more than ever, we want to continue to foster the spirit of giving.
We are so excited to announce that we will be offering an Art & Goodies Kit at the Cowichan Lake Visitor/Business Centre. We are able to offer 100 families in the Cowichan Lake area a DIY easel kit, an art canvas, cookies, candy, and more. We believe this will be a safe activity for families to participate in from the comfort of their home. Families will be able to pick up their kit during the last week of November, while supplies last. We want to thank our sponsors Country Grocer Lake Cowichan, Cowichan Lake Arts & Culture and Spirit Brush Art Studio.
We will also have a prop Santa on display at the Cowichan Lake Visitor/Business Centre for kids to get their pictures taken with during the last weekend of November.
We hope children will understand that Santa knows he’s a bit of a crowd-generator so has decided to keep to the North Pole as much as possible until Christmas Eve. However, his lookalike was made by the elves themselves in his likeness. When entering the centre, we would like to remind everyone that masks are mandatory for everyone except small children (3 and under, unless an exception needs to be made, in which case we should be able to accommodate).
There will be hand sanitizer at the doors for everyone to sanitize their hands with before and after entering. This will be an event that requires registration as we will need to be able to monitor the number of people in advance. To register please email us at lcchamber@shaw.ca with your family names and then you will be assigned a timeslot. Please bring your own camera as we will not be taking photos.
Our last 2020 Christmas initiative is one of our favourite traditions from years’ past—the Cowichan Lake Light Up. Every business and household in the Town of Lake Cowichan, or Area F (Honeymoon Bay, Mesachie Lake, Caycuse, Skutz Falls, Paldi), or Area I (Youbou, Meades Creek) are encouraged to decorate their homes. This year, we are promoting the Artisan Christmas, with prizes given to the households and businesses that we feel create the best work of art with their decorations. To register for the Light Up Contest, email lcchamber@shaw.ca or phone 250-749-3244.
We know that COVID-19 may have changed the way we do things this year, but we hope that the message we send out is still the same—support local, support your neighbours, and give back if you can. and keep safe.
