At long last it has returned.
No, not the CFL season, we're talking about the return of the Golden Garbage Can competition.
Admit it, you have Can fever.
OK, so maybe you don't.
But, Can fever or not, the hope here is that the citizens of Estevan, in the way that only the people of this city can, throw their support behind the efforts to win the Golden Garbage Can.
For those unfamiliar with the competition, it was a once annual battle between Estevan and Weyburn to determine which of the two communities was the cleanest. Unfortunately our neighbours to the west had almost claimed permanent ownership of the Can, a fact that prompted city council to pull out of the competition in 2003.
It was an ill-advised decision at the time and the council of the day deserves credit for correcting that mistake.
But make no mistake, Estevan is still the underdog in this competition. Although the City has placed a greater emphasis on beautification and has made some positive strides, much work still needs to be done.
Whether we like to admit it or not, Weyburn has a large head start on us. While Estevan is just coming to the beautification dance, they have already been there for a number of years, and it shows. Weyburn is a nice looking community that takes pride in how it looks.
Estevan's reputation in that area is, to be polite, not great. We're known as a rough and tumble, industrial community where the majority of people have more interest in getting in a couple extra hours at work than using that time to plant flowers. It's not as though people here don't have pride in the community, it's just shown in different ways.
But with the return of the competition, the city has a fantastic chance to change that reputation and all it will take is a little work, something the residents of this community have never been afraid of.
Take a little extra time this week to work on your yard. Give the boulevards a little love and if you have a back alley, make sure you take care of the lawn and weeds behind your fence. If you see some litter lying around, pick it up. And for the love of all things holy, don't pitch your garbage out the window of your vehicle, not that anyone should need a reminder of that.
There is a feeling among people who live outside of Estevan that residents here don't have pride in the city. We know that to be completely untrue. You don't have to look any further than how the city banded together to support the Riderville campaign. And how about the $7.4 million in fund raising for the new arena?
We know the pride is here, even if you have wipe away a few layers of dust to find it. But this is our chance to show the rest of the province how we feel about our fair city and it's up to us to take full advantage of it.
