Mile 0 Park is headquarters for family fun in Dawson Creek

Camp, swim and play all in one place

Walter Wright Pioneer Village

One month after the campground at Mile 0 Park opens on May 1, the Mile 0 Park Walter Wright Pioneer Village opens its doors for families to explore the history of the early pioneers who settled in the area of Dawson Creek.

The village has a general store, churches and a schoolhouse, and park manager Bert Goulet said some of the original buildings date from the early 1900s to the 1950s.

“The village encompasses antiques from telephones to printing presses to farm machinery and army vehicles used on the Alaska Highway,” said Goulet.

He said the heritage village will host its annual grand opening on June 21 , 22 and 23 in conjunction with the annual Pioneer Village Jamboree. Then there’s a harvest festival in September. All other times between June and September, Goulet said the village offers brochures for walk-yourself tours that would be fun for the whole family.

“You look at how technology has grown even in the last five years, and when you have a child who has a cell phone at five years old and plays Xbox and they walk into something like this, it’s pretty well a different planet,” he said. “Everything’s so high tech these days so it’s mind-blowing for kids to see.”

For a map of the village and full event list, visit mile0park.ca. Admission is by donation.

Rotary Lake

Another family-friendly facet of Mile 0 Park will also be opening in June: the man-made Rotary Lake Park. According to Goulet, the lake is a favourite with local and visiting families alike because “there aren’t too many lakes in the area.”

“The closest other one is probably 25 minutes away,” he said.

Easily accessible from town, Goulet said the lake becomes a popular place to swim and socialize in the summer.

“There’s nothing like being outdoors and playing in the lake; the youthful spirit of being outdoors with family and friends,” he said.

Goulet said the lake will have a grand opening event with live music and “lots of stuff for the kids” in June, with the date to be determined depending on the weather.

Kenn Borek Aquatic Centre

The Kenn Borek Aquatic Centre boasts an eight-lane competition pool, a leisure pool with a lazy river and spray features, a tots’ pool, waterslide, sauna, steam room and hot tub.

“Our facility is great for those wanting to take a break from their travels,” said Anna Eichelberger, the centre’s aquatic customer service supervisor. “People can enjoy a nice leisurely soak in the hot tub, experience our public swim, waterslide and river, join a drop-in fitness class or do some lap swimming. Two lanes are always available for lap swimming during our public swim hours.

“We also have a playground for children up to five years old, with learning blocks and a library, a 46-foot climbing wall, and a walking and running track which is free to use during weekdays when events aren’t scheduled,” she said.

“A lot of the time it’s hot out, so people just want to come for a quick swim indoors and then have a shower and get back in the vehicle and go,” added City of Dawson Creek recreation facility manager Chanté Patterson-Elden. “It’s a great place to come and cool off.”

Patterson-Elden said the centre is currently planning its special events for the summer.

“We did summer Olympics last summer,” she said. “Kids dove for rings, and there were all kinds of relays.”

She said event information will be updated on the website dawsoncreek.ca