There are literally millions of people who don't have it. They may have many things but they don't have the ever illusive and coveted sense of community. It's a sense of belonging that usually comes when you realize the place you live in is fantastic and absolutely full of great people. And while some towns have nothing that you would call a community, in 撸奶社区we seem to have many and thankfully they all like to throw events.Now, while it is impossible to pick a favourite event, one that I get very excited about every year is the Sikh Society parade. The colours, the dancing, and the piles and piles and piles of delicious food. You literally cannot walk down the street without being loaded with a staggering quantity of quality grub. I also enjoy this yearly parade because while the Sikh community is comprised of thousands, I rarely if ever see them partying in the streets.Unlike the event that same evening when SERF had everyone partying at the end of the street on the oceanfront. Wow. The weather, the music, the people, the views... everything about this event is delightful. But by far, the best thing is that if you stand on that beach for more than a second you realize what a jewel it is. Then you realize our community deserves (and will demand) a permanent public festival park right there on the water. It's funny how you can see everything so clearly if you stand on that waterfront.But no time to rest as that action packed weekend plummets directly into Canada Day. Like the previous weekend, I started by volunteering to play with kids in the park, a tiring yet fun way to start any day. Then we headed straight into more piles of delicious food (I'm seeing a trend here and I like it). The feast was at Totem Hall for a well-attended multicultural day gathering. The dancing, food and friends was definitely top notch.Then, with a full belly, the whole town got to party in the streets at the bands took to the stage for the Downtown BIA's Canada day party. Sadly, this year a dear deceased friend couldn't join us, and her presence was definitely missed. But due to an embarrassing lack of vision, our officials had to chop her to bits and burn all that remained. I wish it was hard to believe that the District of 撸奶社区tore down the pavilion. Especially after hearing a decade of lies to the tune of "we're going to do something for downtown." Now, some might consider destroying a community gathering place as less than a positive step in downtown revitalization. Those people would be right. But even our district's apparent hatred for downtown couldn't stop the great party that in true "the little downtown that could" fashion, went off with a thousand smiles and ended with a spectacular fireworks bang. We should definitely do this more often.
