St. Paul looking to weatherproof future Shiverfest festivities

St. Paul’s Family Day activities could be getting a shakeup.

Due to cold weather on Family Day Monday, Shiverfest was taken indoors this year and St. Paul town council is looking at ways to adjust the festivities.

Town staff met last week to discuss what could be done to maintain the winter theme while weatherproofing the event, so next year it could go ahead no matter what the weather.

“It’s been celebrated that way for years and it’s always been contingent on weather,” she said on The Morning After.

“We’ve sent it back to administration, but I think we’re going to shift things up and start using our own indoor facilities, the curling rink, the arenas, the pool was well-utilized. But maybe we can diversify what we normally do, use our indoor facilities and celebrate in a different way.”

Miller said that helps volunteers who’ve had to pull out from running activities because of the frigid conditions.

“Last year it was cold. We had some volunteer groups pull out based on weather – I don’t blame them they’re all volunteering to be there for the day. But this year the same thing happened.

“All those organizations came together again and it was like, we can’t expose them as volunteers, as much as us participating can get in and out of the weather, the volunteers that are hosting those activities are out there for the day,” said Miller.

“We have great facilities, so why not showcase them? That’s what it came back to. Let’s just utilize what we have and open up the Rec Centre and it will hold more people and if we have to move inside, we can.”

Right now, Shiverfest is ran from Reunion Station.

Town administration will also look at changing the day of the festivities to the Saturday preceding Family Day.