A healthy community is made through social events, which are returning to Walkerton after a two-year hiatus.
For the past couple of years, everyone was forced to isolate, so it’s exciting to see so many events starting up again and giving people new social opportunities in Walkerton.
Community is important, especially to small towns. It allows people to connect with each other, and makes a town develop a warmer, more welcoming atmosphere to it. Events make a town lively and fun, providing things for people of all ages to go out and enjoy.
Returning to Walkerton for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic was the Little Royal Fair, which came with a whole small carnival to enjoy. It had displays made by the people who live in and around Walkerton for everyone to enjoy.
There were also sled dog races on wheels, a walk for Farley, CWL dinners and in the future, there are Christmas and Halloween events.
These events tend to be big, and gather a lot of people to enjoy. Many of these events weren’t possible with COVID mandates, so many people are glad to be seeing them again. Any reason to get out and socialize is a good reason in the current state of the world, people came to miss any kind of interaction with other people. People never like being disconnected, especially not from something that should make them have comfort such as their community.
Ultimately, COVID-19 has changed the future of community events. While mandates are lifted, many people still take caution in wearing masks and sanitizing more than they would usually in the past. These events are different in other ways too, such as building limits for some places, screenings, and subconscious social distancing. Events will forever be changed because of isolation, but some of the changes are good in the face of health and safety.
Reporting even slowed because of COVID-19, since many things worth writing about were put on hold. This also affected the community, because without news, it is hard to know what goes on in a town.
Seeing the events in person after years of no public interaction gives each experience more meaning. Walkerton has regained what made it such a lively community in the first place, and it is refreshing to see.
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Emily Bowen is a co-op student with the Walkerton Herald-Times.
