Oak Bay is not known for being a fun place to live, but maybe it’s time to start spreading the news.
What a fabulous and fun community event the O’Brien family concert in Willows Park was.
The Community Association of Oak Bay is to be commended for its effort in organizing the wonderful evening of music and camaraderie.
Hundreds turned out, couples, families, groups of friends – and even one or two single folks – to enjoy the warm summer night, the terrific entertainment and the chance to mix with neighbours or make new friends.
Some people brought chairs, some brought blankets, some went all out and brought a picnic dinner to enjoy.
There were kids running and having fun on the playground, the music spilled out to the beach where some enjoyed catching a few rays of sun before it dipped below the horizon.
The music was great. It provoked more than a few people to get up and boogie oogie oogie, ‘til they just couldn’t boogie no more.
Kids twirled, grandpas whirled and toddlers wiggled themselves to near exhaustion.
It was the perfect ending to a hot summer day.
Planning these events is not easy. It takes plenty of organization to set up the event space, arrange the sound system, book the band and make sure everything runs smoothly.
The Community Association of Oak Bay runs on a shoestring budget, under the power of a few volunteers. This type of community involvement takes a lot of personal time but benefits the community as a whole greatly.
The summer concert in the park (with a second to come in August) is a welcome addition to our community.