Dec. 16, 2020 photo of the Sylvan Lake Winter Village. (Town of Sylvan Lake Facebook page)

By Troy Gillard and Josh Hall

fundraising underway for repairs

Sylvan Lake Winter Village hit by vandals

Jan 14, 2021 | 1:31 PM

A popular attraction in Sylvan Lake aimed at making spirits bright has been darkened by vandals.

It was sometime overnight on Jan. 12-13 when Grinches went through and damaged the Sylvan Lake Winter Village at the town’s pier to the point where it will remain dark until repairs can be made.

“It’s actually quite heartbreaking, to tell you the truth,” says Denise Bryan-Williams, executive director for the Sylvan Lake Chamber of Commerce.

“This is the fourth year we have worked to create the Winter Village and this year was absolutely the hardest year. We didn’t even know if we could do it because everything is done through fundraising. Ninety per cent of that comes from businesses, and a lot of these businesses have been hit hard and still dug deep to help us make this happen for the good of the community and to cheer people up.”

Bryan-Williams says it costs about $35,000 to do the Winter Village each year.

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“It’s a collaboration of businesses that care,” she points out. “To see it disrespected… it’s just an insult, really.”

Bryan-Williams says they won’t know the full extent of the damage for a couple more days, but the lights will remain off for now.

“We know that we’re going to have at least a few days of down time. The Town (of Sylvan Lake) is figuring out what is going to be required, what all’s been damaged and what needs to be replaced,” she explained.

“There were extension cords that were stolen and need to be replaced. An archway with lights was destroyed, we don’t know how much it’ll cost (to replace), but I can guarantee we’ll find a way to light it up again. But of course it means we’re going to have to raise a bit more.”

Bryan-Williams says residents can still head down to enjoy the in-ice lighting installed this year on the adjacent skating rink on the lake.

A spokesperson with Sylvan Lake RCMP says they are canvassing nearby businesses to see if they have any surveillance footage that might help with their investigation into the vandalism. Anyone who may have information is asked to call Sylvan Lake RCMP.

The “Sylvan Lake Winter Village” Facebook page has the latest status updates along with a link to the GoFundMe campaign to repair the vandalized light displays.

“The show will go on,” Bryan-Williams insists.