The Beaver Valley May Days Society would like to address the local media reports based on the RCMP report recently released outlining activities during May Days.
May Days would like to thank local authorities and emergency personnel for the help over the weekend as we experienced a couple of events as any celebration does.
On Friday evening we became aware of a sick teenager who appeared to be intoxicated. She was very sick and required immediate medical intervention. The teenage girl was drinking off property with some other teenagers and needed the use of the public washroom when she became ill.
Our onsite first aid members and an off duty nurse helped immediately and Fruitvale fire and ambulance arrived shortly after to help the young woman.
The arrest reports on Friday do not reflect the level of cooperation between May Days volunteers, staff and the RCMP. It also does not reflect all of the potentially similar incidents that were deescalated peacefully and safely by our group of amazing volunteers and fellow May Days party goers.
Beaver Valley May Days Society is bound by strict rules and regulations surrounding Event licensing and requirements from the Province of BC. Our volunteers check ID before entering the defined Beer Gardens area to ensure there is no under age serving.
We also cut off guests when they need to be and remove guests if required to ensure everyone has a safe and great experience. Our May Days volunteers are certified in Serving it Right to ensure that no one is over served.
We would like to salute the RCMP for their professional and remarkably restrained demeanor, especially considering the jeering they were getting from a very small handful of folks. They were definitely there just to keep the peace and wanted everyone to be able to go home safely without incident. Unfortunately there were a couple of folks that did not heed warnings by the RCMP and their behavior led to their arrest.
This years May Days participation was well beyond our expectations, and while this led to this year’s festivals great success, it also brings more potential security issues. We are committed to providing a safe, fun environment for the residents of the Beaver Valley and beyond. As we continue to move forward we will be making improvements and changes to our May Days Celebration that will improve safety, security and cleaning throughout the weekend.
We look forward to next year’s May Days and the exciting opportunities that are yet to come!
Executive Board of Directors
Beaver Valley May Days Society