The Swan Hills community turned out for the first Swancicle Days event in three years in a big way! Swancicle Days were last celebrated in 2020, shortly before the first measures to curb the COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta went into effect, and then the 2021 and 2022 events were cancelled due to the public health restrictions in place at the time. If the participation and attendance levels over the weekend’s events were any indication, Swan Hills was definitely looking to make up for lost time.

The Pointe N’ Drop dance studio kicked off the weekend’s events on Friday with their Winter Showcase, featuring 13 different performances. The dance routines included solo, duet, and group performances in the hip-hop, lyrical, and contemporary genres. The Showcase drew excellent attendance; the Keyano Centre parking lot was packed full with Swan Hills residents coming out to support the community’s youth.

The Swan Hills Chamber of Commerce got Saturday off to a great start with a delicious pancake breakfast. For a modest price, breakfast included pancakes, scrambled eggs, ham, sausage, fruit, and coffee or a juice box to wash it all down. The Chamber served sixty-nine people throughout the morning.

The bouncy houses were a huge hit on Saturday afternoon. The Keyano Centre was packed with families, and the kids were having a great time romping through the multiple bouncy houses and playing with their friends. The Swan Hills Municipal Library’s table also saw a steady stream of traffic with button and bookmark-making stations.

The fun continued into the evening with the movie Barnyard playing at the Keyano Centre, followed by an incredible fireworks show. The family dance picked up after the fireworks had finished, completing the evening. Going by all of the social media posts the next day, quite a few families were having a ball and lots of laughs with PS Photography’s photo booth.

The Town hill was busy on Sunday with sledders of all ages turning out to brave the cold. Fortunately, Blade Energy Services was on hand with a free community BBQ to help everyone keep their energy levels up with delicious hamburgers and hot dogs. Some families chose to keep things a little less chilly by joining in on the free family skate at the arena.

This year’s Swancicle Days was a fantastic event and a welcome return to normalcy after the last few years. Thank you to the Swancicle Days Committee for organizing the weekend’s events and to all the volunteers who helped to make this event go off smoothly. A big thank you also goes out to all the sponsors who supported this year’s events.

Community events like this are an important piece of what makes Swan Hills such an incredible place to live.

Dean LaBerge, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Grizzly Gazette