Holiday Avenue Project removes St. Patrick's Day decorations

You may have noticed Saskatchewan Avenue looks a little less green compared to recent memory.

The Holiday Avenue Project (HAP) decorates Saskatchewan Avenue and other areas of Portage la Prairie to try and add some joy to the City of Possibilities. It started with Christmas, then expanded to include Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day.

Lori Carlson-Judson with HAP says the intense wind from earlier in the week caused the group to collect their decorations early.

Lori Carlson-Judson.

"We're done with our avenue planters decorating (until the holiday season)," explains Carlson-Judson. "That's not the end of what we do, though. We've got a garden tour coming up in July that we're really excited about. Lots of gardens have already been registered and we hope to see a crowd out there like we did last year."

Coming out of St. Patrick's Day, the executive behind HAP appreciates the volunteers who work alongside them to add a sprinkle of joy and colour to Portage. Carlson-Judson notes it's been a great opportunity to meet like-minded individuals.

"We see some familiar faces from lots of different volunteer efforts in town, but I meet new people all the time," says Carlson-Judson. "This has been a great way to see new faces or reconnect with people from the community. It's been surprising how many people are coming out and the aspects that they're excited about."

While the decorations aren't completely taken down yet, the plan is to remove whatever's left of the St. Patrick's Day greenery this coming weekend.