Reprinted from The Packet, August 15, 2017
By Wanda Garrett, Special to The Packet
Beach Boys (Photo by Krista Spurrell)
LONG BEACH, NL – It was one of the nicest days of the summer when the residents of Long Beach, Southwest Arm, gathered on August 12 to celebrate their community.
Last summer the community held its first reunion on a similar beautiful weekend. That event was so successful, the organizing committee decided to do it again – but on a smaller scale.
They hope to make this one-day event an annual celebration.
The morning began with a fishing derby with a prize for the Junior Division, ages 12 and under, and a prize for the Senior Division, 13 and older. Eight year old Henry Spurrell was delighted to pull in the largest fish – 30 inches long – for the Junior Division. Mark Avery caught the largest fish – 36 inches long – in the Senior Division. They each won a fishing rod.
At noon, with the beautiful backdrop of Southwest Arm, Trinity Bay, complete with a whale swimming in the harbour, a community barque was held at the Long Beach Marina. This was followed by lots of games and activities for the children – everything from building sand castles on the beach, to face-painting and a duck race in the river.
While the children were having their fun the adults were not left out. There was an adult horse-shoe contest – won by Jamie and Dee Russell – and an afternoon tea for the ladies in the Anglican Church basement. The ladies arrived in their finest apparel, many even had their hats, and everyone enjoyed their tea in china cups.
The day concluded with a large community bonfire – which of course meant lots of s’mores for the children. The evening was enjoyed by everyone. There is nothing like relaxing around a campfire on a beautiful warm summer’s evening, with local talent providing the music. What a wonderful way to conclude another great event.
Transcribed by Wanda Garrett, September 2017
These transcriptions may contain human errors. As always, confirm these as you would any other source material