A number of Airdrie residents are helping to bring some birthday joy to each other during this time of social isolation.
A few Facebook pages have popped up that are allowing residents to commemorate each other’s special days while keeping their distance.
The Airdrie Birthday Parades page was created by Diana Reyes in mid-April when she wanted to do something special for her three-year-old daughter’s big day.
“Birthdays are one of the main reasons people may be breaking the social distancing rules,” Reyes said.
“People are missing gathering with family and friends to celebrate and sometimes children or the elderly don’t completely understand the severity of the situation and why they can’t have a party.”
The parades include a line up of decorated cars driving from community to community playing music, honking their horns and displaying signs to celebrate the birthdays of children and seniors that have occurred over the past week. They take place every Saturday and start at the Home Depot parking lot at 4:50 pm.
“It’s been a really hard time, so it is important to bring happiness to each other in a way that keeps our spirit and raises our hopes,” said Reyes, adding children ages three to 16 and seniors 75 years and older are eligible.
“In some countries, people can’t even leave their homes. We have the opportunity to go outside and breath fresh air and bring the party to people, so let’s do it. Let’s enjoy our lives, just a bit differently.”
The inaugural Airdrie Birthday Parade included 12 cars and visited 13 houses and last week’s celebration included 27 cars and 20 locations.
To have your loved one’s name added to the list, post or send a private message on the Airdrie Birthday Parades Facebook page.
Another Facebook page called ‘Airdrie covid 19 birthdays’ is also helping to bring some joy to local children on their birthdays by sending them cards.
Three local kids are bringing some laughter to these hard times by dressing up as dinosaurs and wandering the streets of Airdrie. Lovingly called the Sagewood Dinosaurs, siblings Grace, Mia, and Cale are spreading smiles wherever they roam.
The Airdrie Fire Department recently sent out a press release informing residents that they are unable to do drive-by birthday celebrations (like a number of other municipalities, including Calgary) because crews need to be available to respond to emergency calls at a moment’s notice.
However, they will celebrate your loved one’s big day with a electronic care package that includes a personal message from the fire chief, some ‘Sparky’ activities to do at home and a photo from the crew.
To request a package for a family member or friend between the ages of three and 12 or 75 years and older, fill out this request form (LINK https://www.airdrie.ca/getDocument.cfm?ID=7909)
and email it to fire.department@airdrie.ca five business days prior to the special day so we can accommodate your request.
