The energy will be high this Saturday at Gyro Park where a spontaneous water fight is expected to make a splash.
A horn will sound at 2 p.m. to start Water-Rama, a “flash mob” of super soakers, squirt toys, and water bazookas, explained event instigator Robert Baker, Trail Parks and Recreation deputy director.
Flash mobs allow both the participants and spectators to be part of the experience, so park dwellers beware: Saturday is a wet one.
“The old siren from the Cominco Arena will be on-site to sound the start, and the park will erupt into a fountain of water with screams of laughter and the hustle of feet as everyone tries to dodge each other and soak their friends,” explains Baker.
“There will be four refill stations available near the concession building, but it will be a busy event so show up early and don't stop 'till the river runs dry!”
The free event is part of many Trail Parks came up with while brainstorming inclusive and experimental gatherings that can later be handed off to residents willing to coordinate an annual experience.
Last month, Kootenays' Largest Slip 'N Slide took place at Centennial Park in Glenmerry. The community embraced the over 3,000-square-foot plastic slide, which allowed for multiple riders at a time, reaching speeds in excess of 50 feet per second.
Parks and Recreation Director Trisha Davidson has relived her slide down the slide with staff by watching a video of the event captured by Shaw TV on YouTube.
“It was fantastic,” she recalled.
The goal was to piggy back the events. The “good old-fashioned” fun rolled out then and was expected to entice and attract residents to Kootenay's largest water fight.
“There is so much involvement by third-party individuals, it's not just our department, that they kind of have taken a life of their own via social media and word of mouth,” she said. “I would say this will be a wait-and-see if this is the one that leads up to another or if there will be just a continuation of enjoying park space with the utilization of water during a very hot summer.”
The Facebook event asks participants to be responsible by “not bringing any other weapons apart from things that shoot water” and to avoid water balloons as they are messy and can be easily left behind as litter. The code of conduct also recommends that participants dress for the wet occasion. Beyond that, the event is coined as spontaneous and the hope is some amazing moments will be shared as a community.
“We're constantly involved in environments where people are controlled with how they do things so this is an opportunity, in a non-intentional way, where people can say 'We can have fun in parks or in spaces that aren't heavily controlled and monitored,'" said Davidson.
For more information on Water-Rama, check out the Facebook event.