PETROLIA, ONT. -- On the Main Street of Petrolia, Ontario, senior Shirley Kelly stands out.
One the shelf of her walker are two fresh slices of pizza purchased in the first hour of the town’s Pizzafest.
Kelly says not even the pandemic could stop her from getting some special Pizzafest pizza
"I’m hungry, and I’m 87 years old and got two hips and my knees done. It’s time to eat," she states to CTV New with a smile.
Kelly and the town’s other residents have a unique opportunity to enjoy a festival this weekend.
In most other Ontario centres summer festivals are scrubbed due to COVID-19 restrictions.
But in Petrolia, they’ve found a way that’s unique and doesn’t break health guidelines.
Granted, the seventh edition of Pizzafest will not be the same as the previous six.
For one, it won’t be held in the main downtown park, which would clearly break gathering restrictions.
Instead, five pizzerias are offering special prices and special combinations to customers who can pick up their food and then head home.
If that doesn't sound much different from what you might do in our community, here’s the difference.
Once home you can enjoyr some entertainment - the town has a lineup of performances from local artists streaming live on Facebook Friday evening and Saturday for people to enjoy as they eat.
Further, the lead-up to the event has seen people encouraged to decorate their windows and sidewalks with pizza-themed decorations.
A quick drive through town shows a surprising number of people are taking part.
Petrolia’s Director of Community Services Dave Menzies says Pizzafest is just the first example of what’s to come this summer.
He says the goal is to not 'cancel' any traditional town-operated summer event.
"We took kind of a little bit of different approach to say, OK we don’t want to cancel anything, but we still need to build some community pride and make people think that they’re active, and that sitting in the house or sitting in the backyard isn’t the only thing they can do."
Canada Day is the next event that will go ahead using the new model.
In the interim, Dawn Ewing, the owner of Bud’s Family Pizza, says businesses are buoyed by the effort to keep activities going, in at least some way.
She says she’s shocked how many advanced orders she has for both Friday evening and Saturday.
"It seems like the town is excited to do something even though it was not the way it supposed to be."
A key feature of Pizzafest was the ability for a family or a group of friends to enjoy a full pizza, broken into slices, any way they wanted.
That put and end to the traditional argument over toppings.
Ewing says in the virtual world, her business and most other pizza restaurants are willing to recreate that experience - just for Pizzafest - in the home.
"People are used to going to Pizzafest downtown and getting a different size as a family nobody has to share anything. So, we have put together a few family deals where they can all kind a get their own have a pizza or a smaller pizza so they kind of get the same feeling."
Children Lila and Elliott Marsden, are excited to participate in eating and having fun. Both are tired of quarantine and spent most of Thursday putting up pizza decorations on their windows.
Their mom, Amy Marsden, says it’s great to have something to look forward to that’s safe and fun.
"I think it’s awesome. I think it’s great that they gave us something to do, something to build town morale and that. Because we don’t have much else to do this summer…Not looking good anyways."
More information on Pizzafest is on the Town of Petrolia Facebook page.
