I want to give a big shout out to John (Kyle) Dupuis and his fiancé Megan Chase for organizing the “Yoga in the Park” festival this past weekend of June 22 and 23 at Cobden Memorial Park.
I was volunteering at the tourist booth both mornings and was witness to some of the events. The yoga classes were held at the beach and were well attended, even from some as far away as Ottawa.
Vendors were set up selling goods such as homemade soaps, essential oils paintings, creams, bags, jewellery and other items. Unfortunately, they were relegated to the bottom part of the park which made it difficult to be seen from the highway, leading to low sales.
I made to the decision to allow the vendors to set up on Sunday in the upper part of the park, right by the highway. This made an enormous difference, with approximately thirty-five people stopping in specifically to check out the vendors during my time there.
John (Kyle) Dupuis, a barber, set up a station for hair cuts and like the vendors, had more business Sunday. He even had a little girl who was happy with her new hairdo but upset that she didn’t get a sucker. Afterwards, mom took her into town to get her some candy.
Both Josh and Megan are to be commended for a successful job bringing this event to Cobden. They thought outside the box to host a festival that has not been showcased before. A large map of the area was on display not only to mark where the events were being held but also where participants could go for items such as gas, meals, coffee and ice cream. Everything was done to show off what our town has to offer and the beauty surrounding it.
We have a beautiful park and it would be wonderful if festivals similar to this could be held once a month during the spring and summer. I truly hope council and the township take note of this successful weekend and use John and Megan’s event as a blueprint for more in the future.
Janet Burns
