Just about a year ago, Sedgewick businesswoman Katie Freadrich started thinking about how when she grew up in Sedgewick, there were lots of family activities throughout the year.
She says, “There wasn’t anything like that when my children were small. So she set out to change that.”
She reached out to a few of her fellow business owners, and soon the idea for a new Sedgewick Business Association was born.
Freadrich, along with Loni Bergum, Christie Rose, and Tara Hardon, now form the Sedgewick Business Association executive. They reached out to other local businesses late last year, and presently have 31 paid members. “Plus we’ve already had interest from new members for the coming year.”
The first event the fledgling group held was a family Valentine’s Dance.
“Honestly, we didn’t know what to expect. We hoped for the best, but I think really I thought we might get 10 people out.”
That definitely wasn’t the case, as people of all ages, from little kids to couples without kids, came out to enjoy a wonderful evening.
That was a real confidence booster for the group. Just about a month later, an Easter Egg Hunt event was planned.
That, too, was a success with families and individuals searching for six different eggs using QR codes and hints, with the winners identifying where they found the hidden eggs.
All May and June the new association gathered volunteers from member businesses and hosted Dinner at the Diamonds, an outdoor barbecue held weekly every Wednesday, with affordable family dinners. The very first night had 100 people show up, exceeding their expectations again.
Over the next eight weeks, the numbers varied; sometimes they hit up to 130, or as low as 51, but mostly hovered around that 100 mark.
On July 1, the group sponsored free Canada Day face painting and hair tinsel at Sedgewick’s Canada Day.
They sponsored a Best Yard contest in Sedgewick through the summer, with people encouraged to nominate and vote for their favourites.
That was followed by a Toy and Turkey Bingo that exceeded expectations with a big turnout.
One of their most popular family events was the Trick or Treat Night, which started even before the Association, and celebrated its third anniversary with 180 kids going through this past Friday.
Coming up soon are a colouring contest, Santa Daze at Christmas, and a Christmas lights contest.
Freadrich said, “We are always overwhelmed by the support we receive from the Sedgewick community.”
Right from the get-go, 100 people attended the Valentine’s Dance, blowing their expectations out of the water.
Freadrich says the group charges businesses $100 per year for memberships, which helps finance all the events and keep them affordable for families.
No one is paid anything, it’s all volunteer labour, and in fact they have a five-year plan to eventually have an outdoor event space, perhaps a gazebo, with no lock and key. Somewhere everyone could use.
The founders say that Sedgewick CAO Sean Mascaluk has been very supportive, as has the fire department.
The four say that they are always open to new ideas, and to positive and constructive feedback about any of their events. They also meet after events to discuss what was successful, what wasn’t, and what they could do next time.
The four of them, Freadrich, Bergum, Rose, and Hardon, are pretty proud of what the group has accomplished so far, and are absolutely blown away by the support they’ve received from the business community and from the residents of Sedgewick.
“It’s so important, we think, to offer opportunities for fun that are affordable. We think these kinds of events really foster a sense of community, and connects residents of all ages.”
Freadrich says, “The main driver of what we’re doing is family and community.”
There’s also a tourism aspect, they discovered during Canada Day when campers came down to the celebration and raved over all there was to do.
READ THE FULL STORY IN THE NOVEMBER 5 EDITION OF THE COMMUNITY PRESS (click here)
Leslie Cholowsky
Editor
