The May 2-4 weekend, as we used to affectionately call it back home, was always the highlight of the summer. Queen Victoria Day weekend always used to fall on or near the 24th of May and essentially 'named itself' appropriately. It was the first long weekend of May and it signalled that all-important first long weekend of the summer months.
On the Friday afternoon everyone ran around like chickens with their heads cut off getting everything he or she thought they would need to make the weekend a good one.
Everything from hot dog buns to sunscreen to toothpaste and far too many more to list here.
We'd rush home from school (forgetting our homework in the process) and then we'd head up in the car with our parents and drive down highway 20 destined for Sherkston Shores, a large family camping resort located just north of the sailing town of Port Colborne.
It's taken on a much different shape these days as I'm told but the memories were like it all happened days ago.
As soon as the hour-plus ride from Hamilton was done, it was time to unpack everything then run around trying to do as much as we could with our family and friends.
The things to do were just endless. It was all the stuff you couldn't always do at home. It was the ultimate family holiday experience and every year we spent down there always seemed to be better than the one before it. We used to wake up to loud music blasting from the beach early each morning like it was an alarm clock getting us up for school.
Only difference was none of us minded getting out of bed early at Sherkston.
During our second last year vacationing at the park, the owners went and did some renovations on the park's waterslide. They made it so you climbed up some stairs that were nestled in a rainforest-like atmosphere. Tall trees on either side, the sounds of tropical birds, the beautiful waterfall and it really sounded like the real thing. It was made to take your mind off the long wait to to get on the slide that no doubt awaited us once we made the assent to the top.
The other attraction was Wyldwoode Beach.
It was that much more reason to want to get out to Sherkston not just on long weekends but on every one.
What I loved about that place was there was always a huge number of visitors to the park making the trip up from the USA. There is a couple destinations in southwestern Ontario that attract large numbers of American guests. Niagara Falls in one of the best known for sure. Sherkston Shores was another.
Kind of gives it a little CanAm flavour.
By the time the later hours on Friday rolled around, we had a pretty good idea what was going to happen. Play some basketball, head down to the beach after lunch, and take in a movie at night, then come home and someone would light up a campfire and it's sweet dreaming from there.
Family, friends and a little shortage of hot sun-which is what triggered me to start writing this on Sunday morning just as the winds were starting to pick up here in Yorkton.
Ever since I can recall, the weather on the May long weekend has been anything but good.
The best part of those weekends at Sherkston was being able to do all of those things under the hot sun, only problem was, there never was any hot sun.
At least not on the May long weekend.
The weather on those weekends was like Mother Nature couldn't decide if she wanted rain or if she wanted sun; sometimes it was like she was really playing tricks on us because sometimes, usually on the Sunday and Monday, it was a horrendous mix of both. We'd race to the tennis courts to see if we could get a quick set in before the rain comes down again. The 'closed' sign at the waterslides also became a normal sighting.
Precipitation of any kind was also bad for the bearings of our rollerblade wheels too.Now that I've found my way into sports journalism, the exact same thing comes up, co-incidentally, always on that May 2-4 weekend.
It's particularly bad for a sports department, because, like all the cool stuff you can do at a trailer park or amusement park, the rain has a way of cancelling these things.
Hike through the woods sound like fun?
Sure, but not on the May 2-4 weekend.
Campfire seem like a good place to relax with your family and friends?
Of course, but not if you plan to have it on the May 2-4 weekend.
More recently, over the past three years, the number of baseball games that gets cancelled hits the double-digit figures even more the end of the season.
Whenever there is something going on, usually something that requires getting out and doing things, there's always a risk that it's going to get cancelled because of rain.
Luckily enough, going back to the start of the weekend, things got off to a great start at Deer Park Municipal Golf Course. Former Saskatchewan Roughrider and two-time CFL league champion Richie Hall could play out his 19th Annual Red Cross Mixed golf classic.
It was attended by a lot of people and everyone was able to get together in support of a very worthy cause. Texas Scramble golf was a pretty good way to start off the weekend.
Then Saturday morning, it was just like those days at Sherkston all over again.
If there's anything you'd like to see covered by Game 7, please forward your suggestions to the Yorkton This Week sportsdesk by phone, fax or email. All ideas are welcome and can be submitted by calling (306) 782-2465 X-114, or by fax to: (306) 786-1898.
