Family Day ends with a bang on Lac La Biche lake

Rob McKinley Feb 15, 2021 10:54 PM
The Lac La Biche shoreline along Churchill Drive can be seen in the distance as fireworks shine from their on-ice launch pad. The Family Day Fireworks display in Lac La Biche County drew hundreds to the unique and COVID-friendly winter spectacel. Image Rob McKinley▲
Family Day fireworks lit up the sky and the Lac La Biche hamlet on Family Day Monday .... Image Rob McKinley▲
Fireworks blasted more than 150 feet into the sky, giving residents around much of the Lac La Biche lake's southern shores a unique show. Image Rob McKinley▲
Oooooh! Image Bianca Mazziotti▲
Ahhhhhhhhh Image Bianca Mazziotti▲
Ohhhhhhhhhhhh! Image Bianca Mazziotti▲
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh! Image Bianca Mazziotti▲
Wowwwwwwwwww!! Image Bianca Mazziotti▲
Ooooooooooh Image Bianca Mazziotti▲
Ahhhhhhhhhhh Image Bianca Mazziotti▲
A Covid-mask and a panda bear hat help keep Nemaha Teny warm as she slides down a hill at the Alexander Hamilton Park on Family Day Monday. Cool temperatures and COVID-19 restrictions kept the hills pretty quiet at the park on Monday. Temperatures are expected to rebound slightly this week. Image Bianca Mazziotti.▲
Long way down: Jibin MD and Nemha Teny probably spent these few seconds of Family Day Monday second-guessing their thought to go to the top of the hill at the Alexander Hamilton park. Image Bianca Mazziotti.▲

Hundreds of vehicles filled on-ice parking areas and lined the Lac La Biche lakeshore for a unique fireworks show to wrap up the Family Day Monday holiday. 

 

Chilly winter temperatures were no match for a COVID-friendly fireworks show ... and in-dash heaters ... as hundreds of vehicles parked in on-ice viewing areas and on roadways along Lac La Biche lake on Monday night. The Family Day Monday fireworks show proved to be a popular distraction from pandemic protocols. The event was sponsored by Lac La Biche County and hosted by the Lac La Biche & District Chamber of Commerce    Video: Bianca Mazziotti

 

The 14-minute night-light show, coordinated by the Lac La Biche and District Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by Lac La Biche County, not only launched fireworks from a remote location in the middle of the the southeastern bay of the frozen lake, but organizers also enforced a strict, 'vehicle-only' viewing restriction. The result was a drive-in style fireworks event that drew 'honks' of support as well as cheers as the night sky in front of McArthur Place came to life.

Monday nights drive-in also featured a little pre-show choreography by several lakeshore residents who registered with the Chamber of Commerce to set of some warm-up fireworks.

Virtual Family fun

The socially-distanced on-ice event followed a day where other events were affected by the continuing pandemic protocols. Instead of the usual Family Day Festival hosted by the municipality's Family and Community Support Services — an event that in the past has featured tobogganing, hot-dog cookouts, ice skating, children's games as well as family snow-shoeing and cross-county skiing — the day went virtual. The FCSS group hosted an online scavenger hunt and photo contest for families to enjoy within their own cohorts. Check this week's Lakeland This Week for an update on the  success of FCSS's virtual event.

As for outdoor activities, some families did venture out to the Alexander Hamilton Park on Monday for a little sledding. The last grasp of a winter deep-freeze kept temperatures in the mid minus-20s, which kept many people indoors. 

The fireworks show was paid in portion by a fireworks credit from a 2020 booking made by municipal officials for a Canada Day show.  That event was cancelled due to enhanced COVID-19 measures restricting public gatherings. 

Video: Bianca Mazziotti /  Images Rob McKinley and Bianca Mazziotti - Great West Media

 

 

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