Hoping rain barrels will spark fireworks

Windsor Park

Harnessing what sprinkles down this spring will help the skies above Windsor Park sparkle this summer.

The Windsor Park Residents’ Association is inviting folks to buy rain barrels to raise funds to put on a Canada Day fireworks display in the neighbourhood.

Amber Gauthier, WPRA president, said the group launched the fundraiser because the Houston family, which funded the fireworks display for the past 20 years, stepped away after last year’s Canada Day show. Gauthier said the community is grateful for the Houstons’ contributions, and wants the WPRA to maintain event and hopefully add more.

“We want to be able to keep putting on events,” Gauthier said, adding that the residents’ association would like to add more benches to Vincent Massey Park, for example.

“We’ve held a movie in the park for two years in a row, and then there’s the fireworks, of course. We’d like to have some big ticket items in the future.”

Rain barrels of various sizes can be pre-ordered and will be available for pickup at Prendergast Centre (906 Cottonwood Rd.) on Saturday, May 23 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Home deliveries (for a fee) will begin after the pickup day and continue daily until completed.

In addition, the WPRA is hold a planting party on Saturday, April 25 between 2 and 5 p.m. at Prendergast Centre, where participants can mingle with fellow gardeners in the community while preparing for growing season. For a $5 fee, participants will receive a tray, seeds, and soil, but folks are welcome to bring any of their own supplies, Gauthier said.

Gauthier highlighted how both events are entwined with Mother Nature, and added that the rain barrel fundraiser might yield an economic, as well as environmental, benefit.

“With water bills going up, it’s a good way to collect water in your garden, which is a nice advantage,” she said. “I’m all about the environment, and this initiative is about utilizing resources that are already there.”

Therese Houston and husband Richard financed the fireworks display at Vincent Massey Park for the last two decades. For the last 15 years or so, they encouraged people to bring a tin for the bin to aid Harvest Manitoba. She said they were always thrilled to bring joy to so many people on July 1.

“It was special seeing how many people enjoyed the show,” Houston said. “So much of the community came out.”

Now that the couple’s children are grown, the Houstons decided last year that the generational cycle had passed. She said it was a difficult decision to stop, but feels it’s time to pass on the torch.

Visit www.rainbarrel.ca/wpra for more information or to order a rain barrel.