Sandy Beach Regional Park marked six decades of regional park status on June 13, celebrating a 60-year transformation from a simple lakeside escape into a vibrant, multi-use community hub.
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Organizers said the anniversary milestone brought together residents, seasonal campers, golfers and weekend visitors for a full day of events, showcasing a park that now offers everything from an expanded golf course to modern recreation facilities.
“It was absolutely a blast getting to celebrate the 60th anniversary with so many visitors at the park, residents and community,” said Char Kozak, general manager of Sandy Beach Regional Park. “It really felt like a community gathering.”
Kozak credited the event’s success to a dedicated group of volunteers, noting they organized and executed roughly 95 per cent of the day’s festivities.
Volunteers arranged catering for a 130-person supper, booked live entertainment by the Sandy Beach Boys, managed a large community bonfire, and organized lake tours on a pontoon boat to give visitors a look at how the shoreline has evolved over the years.
The afternoon also featured highly competitive canoe races and beach activities for local youth.
“We had lawn games going on, a pickleball showcase and horseshoe tournaments,” said Joan Hill, a resident of 32 years who helped plan the anniversary.
Hill added that a beach scavenger hunt had children hunting for 60 loonies — one for each year of the park’s history — hidden alongside chocolate coins.
The celebration concluded with a massive fireworks display over the lake, which was funded entirely through community and business donations.
“The amount of money that did come in was just outstanding,” Kozak said. “That came from everywhere — businesses around Lloydminster, community members, businesses out at Sandy Beach and individuals who wanted to pitch in. We were absolutely blown away.”
The 60th anniversary comes on the heels of several capital improvement projects designed to modernize the park’s infrastructure. Over the winter, the park completed a full renovation of its shower house, installing new floors and modern shower stalls for the upcoming camping season.
The park is also entering its first full summer with a completed, operational pickleball court, with rental gear now available at the front gate for newcomers to the sport.
Additionally, the park’s fully operational kitchen is serving breakfast, lunch and dinner for the summer season — complete with trendy “dirty sodas” added to the menu — while the local golf course remains heavily booked.
Looking ahead, the park will host its annual summer markets on June 28 and Aug. 2, alongside an upcoming horseshoe tournament.
As Sandy Beach enters its next decade, park management is actively seeking public input to shape future developments.
“Give us the feedback, because right now is the time for looking at change and seeing the things that people want,” Kozak said. “I want to hear from everybody of things that they think would do well out at Sandy Beach.”
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