Chris Lowrey

CAMPBELL’S BAY

Aug. 16-18, 2019

The air at the Campbell’s Bay RA was filled with the sound of laughter and the smell of sweets as the annual . . .

Summer Festival took place over the weekend.

The event is one of the biggest fundraisers for the revitalization of the RA park and is organized by the Campbell’s Bay splash pad committee.

Now in its fifth year, the event has raised more than $80,000 in the first four years and helped fund the completion of the mural, the mural park and the splash pad – due to be built in the fall.

The area was full of activities for youngsters ranging from bouncy castles to face painting to exotic animals.

One bouncy castle allowed children to climb to the top of a 15-foot drop onto an inflatable cushion.

There were even a couple of superheroes on hand as both Batman and Thor were seen patrolling the grounds.

On the baseball diamond, a youth team from Campbell’s Bay took on their counterparts from Beachburg in front of packed grandstands.

The youth games were sprinkled in between the adult tournament, which featured two divisions – one competitive and one non-competitive.

That evening, Tragically Hip cover band Little Bones took the stage to blast out some Canadiana for those dancing the night away.

With the amount of activity at the RA on Saturday, it’s no surprise the venue serves as the municipality’s hub.

“That’s why its so important to invest our money in our downtown,” Campbell’s Bay councillor Tim Ferrigan said of the need to draw more people to the RA.

Ferrigan also pointed to the volunteers buzzing around the grounds and said that none of this would be possible without them.

The splash pad project will begin construction and should be finished at some point in November with a grand opening ceremony planned for next spring.