What a month it has been for residents of – and visitors to – the Semiahmoo Peninsula.
Though there is still plenty of summer left to enjoy – though the days have already started to get shorter – now seems as good a time as any to reflect on what was, again, a marvelous July in South Surrey and White Rock.
There was, for starters, the always popular Tour de White Rock cycling series, which was held over two days in mid-July, and once again brought world-class athletes to the city’s streets, and it was followed immediately by the Surrey-hosted Women’s World Softball Championships, which for 10 days at Softball City wowed packed crowds of sports fans.
It’s clear that both events – both longstanding traditions on the Peninsula, if you consider the world softball championships’ two predecessors, the Canada Cup and Canadian Open – were a hit with residents. For the Tour de White Rock’s road race, Marine Drive was noticeably busier than in recent years, while the world championships drew an estimated 150,000 people through the gates during the duration of the event.
The world championships appear to have made a lasting impact on the local softball community, as well, as it was announced last week that the popularity of the event was such that the once-dormant Canada Cup – chock full of international teams – will return for 2017.
Then, of course, was last week’s White Rock Sea Festival, which capped off a busy July and started August off with a bang.
Though it’s had its ups and downs through the years, the community event appears to have righted itself the last few summers, and by all accounts this year was another successful event; one needn’t look further than the thousands of visitors to the beach last weekend for proof of that.
While the summertime is, for some, a chance to pack up and get out of town, be it to the Okanagan, sunny southern climes or elsewhere, organizers of the three aforementioned events – not to mention a legion of others, from pride parades to Canada Day festivities – have done a great job of giving local residents a reason to stay closer to home.
As one-off events, all are well-organized, inclusive and fun for almost everybody.
Taken together, it makes for a summer to-do list so long it begs the question: Why go anywhere else?