What if it rains through the whole week of competition for the World 3D Archery Championships?
If the last two months have been an indication of weather trends and Mother Nature's attempts to dampen the community's spirit, organizers will be planning for it. But the dreary weather trend has also shown the resiliency in the community and in the people who want to create more activities for their neighbours and visitors.
Pow Wow Days was affected by weather and storms threatened the recent long weekend's Mid-Summer Sports Days and night-time runnings of the Billy McDonald Open Rodeo had cowboys watching the skies for lightning. Farmers' markets, baseball games, garage sales and construction projects have been affected by the plentiful rains this summer. Campers and tourism contractors have also suffered through downpours and drizzles.
But through it all — like a sunray shining through the black shelf of storm clouds — local volunteers have been the bright spot. A core of volunteers and service group supporters were busy — rain or shine — at the annual Pow Wow Days events, and last weekend's sports days saw orange-shirted volunteers busily handling the visitors and even more busily tearing down tents and equipment when the storm clouds threatened — and putting them back up when the clouds left and the visitors returned.
Volunteers. Many say volunteers are the foundation that keeps a community active and vibrant. They are that — the foundation, the ground-level support — but they also work higher up, as umbrellas to cover and shelter the events from literal and figurative downpours.
So what happens if it rains during the World 3D Championships — the single biggest sporting event to come to the community — that begin in three week's time? Nothing bad. The show will go on if our volunteers are in place and ready to go — rain or shine.
To volunteer — or to check if volunteers are needed — contact the organizers at www.2019worldarchery3dchampionships.ca
Hopefully, the only things that will rain down on this big event will be the praise for the community pulling off a world-class event.
