Emma Lake Mini-Golf and RV Park will likely be one of many lake country businesses busy this weekend. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

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Weekend beach traffic, welcomed by businesses

Jun 13, 2020 | 8:00 AM

The opening of beaches this weekend at provincial parks in Saskatchewan is great news for lake-goers, but also for the businesses which thrive on tourist traffic.

Kristian Okereke and his wife have owned the Emma Lake Mini-Golf and RV Park since 2018. After a busy day Friday, Okereke told paNOW, he was expecting a good weekend.

“We are looking forward to getting back to normal,” he said.

Prior to this week’s announcement from the provincial government regarding the re-opening of beaches, there was a great deal of uncertainty in the water regarding what the next few months may look like. Okereke said he was not too concerned.

“We didn’t really think we were going to be able to keep Saskatchewan people away from the lake. We knew once it warmed up, people would show up,” he said.

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Like many businesses across the province, the Emma Lake Mini-Golf and RV Park have instituted and posted a number of protocols to address social distancing and other COVID-19 related regulations.

Okereke explained his business was fortunate in that they were already doing a lot of the extra work related to cleaning and so only had a few minor tweaks to make.

“We just want to say thank you to the community and we are looking forward to a healthy and safe season, he said.

Management at the Wick in Candle Lake are counting on getting a big slice of the action this weekend. (Facebook)

The Wick at Candle Lake, which offers a fully licenses restaurant and ice-cream shop, recently celebrated its one year anniversary. Manager Zoe Wallace said all signs point to a busy weekend.

“In our location, we can see the main drag into Candle Lake, and we have seen an exponential amount of vehicles driving by,” she said on Friday.

Wallace explained the restaurant already had pickup service prior to COVID-19 so there was not a big transition to make as a result of the protocols. She added the biggest change they will make this summer, is likely just adjusting the dine-in service.

‘There’s no waiter or waitress right now and we are probably going to keep it that way for the rest of the summer,” she said, adding customers have been very respectful of the change.

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nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell