The Town of Eckville on the morning of Saturday, May 13, held one of the best opportunities for residents to get to know their municipal government officials and what programs the Town has to offer.
“This is the Municipal Breakfast,” Mayor Helen Posti explained. “Traditionally, Municipal Week is held in April but when they started having the Bullarena, we decided it would make good sense to hold our breakfast on the same day. It is a continuation of the whole day.”
The breakfast, which was served up fresh by Eckville Firefighters, is an opportunity for the people of Eckville and the surrounding area to engage with one another and learn about many of the different opportunities throughout Town including the Recreation Board, FCSS and the Recreation Board Youth Group - just to name a few. The breakfast is also an opportunity for the Town to show its gratitude.
“It is a way to show our appreciation to the taxpayers from the the Town of Eckville and also all the volunteers and people who support our businesses from the surrounding area,” Posti said.
The breakfast has been held for many years, but has changed in order to allow Council to better engage with visitors.
“Council used to cook when we held it at the hall, but they felt they were unable to talk to the public so it was decided that it would be nice for the firefighters to do so,” Posti said. “That has been a huge asset, and moving it over to the arena made sense because the tables are already set up for tonight.”
She added that “usually we take our leftovers which haven’t been opened over the Manor afterwards.”
For Posti, providing information about services throughout the Town and also allowing residents to get to know Council members is an important aspect of the breakfast.
“One reason it is important is that some people may not know who all the members of Council are or what the Town is doing,” she said. “It gives them the opportunity to ask questions.”
In the past, the breakfast was joint hosted by the Town of Eckville and Lacombe County, however timing this year did not allow for that arrangement.
“In the past, Lacombe County has joined us. However, this year they are hosting a Louis Riel Race,” she said. “That has been good when they have been here because we get people both from the rural and urban community.”
todd.vaughan@sylvanlakenews.com