Even the pouring and rather unpleasant autumn rain did not prevent the folk festival in Lepel.
Even the pouring and rather unpleasant autumn rain did not prevent the folk festival in Lepel.
From early morning, the central square was "occupied" by machinery. First, an exhibition of new products from agricultural and industrial enterprises, then military equipment, and a little later – a procession of the most unusual vehicles: the second stage of the open Championship of the Republic of Belarus in Jeep Trial was held in the city. A children's playground was solemnly opened – on behalf of all parents, mother Elena Znarok expressed heartfelt gratitude to the local authorities for such a wonderful gift to the children. The city had not received such a gift before! In the park, on the lake shore, a real children's town with numerous play, sports, and other facilities appeared. And this is just the beginning: the chairman of the district executive committee, Boris Efremov, promised that the playground would be constantly replenished with new attractions for the children.
The dream of more than one generation of Lepel residents has come true – practically, there was no meeting of local authorities with the population at their place of residence, no information groups of the district executive committee with labor collectives, where the problem was not voiced: there is nowhere for children to go in the city. Yard swings and sandboxes are, of course, necessary, but that's not enough... Almost 240 million rubles from the district budget were allocated for the creation of this "wonderland"; in a short period, all this children's joy was installed and assembled by the employees of KUPP "Lepel Housing and Communal Services".
A huge photo exhibition – a kind of illustrated reportage from the life of labor collectives and residents – stretched for a whole block. The exhibition of folk crafts and decorative and applied arts "To our native city" attracted many spectators. A thousand portions of porridge and tea were prepared by the cooks of the canteen of the Lepel State Vocational Lyceum at a field kitchen. The homesteads of the rural councils pleased with their richness and generosity. And all this was accompanied by the wonderful music of the military brass band.
However, the main event – the grand opening of the festival "To You, Our City, These Congratulations!" – had to be moved from the Summer Amphitheatre to the hall of the District House of Culture. Citizens and guests were congratulated by the Chairman of the District Council of Deputies, Nikolai Misyura, the Honorary Citizen of Lepel, General Director of the National Art Museum, Vladimir Prokoptsov, and a member of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus, Rector of Vitebsk State University named after P. M. Masherov, Alexander Solodkov. Participants of the university's amateur arts brought their gift to Lepel – a wonderful concert.
The city honoured the winners of the district competition for improvement – the work collective "Lepelraygaz", and the remarkable owners of beautiful and well-kept homesteads – Lyudmila Geut, Valentina Shestitko, and Valentina Osipenko.
In the evening, the baton was passed to the delight of the citizens by the duet "Aloe Vera" and the group "Nevesta", and the dance program "Good Evening, My City!". According to tradition, the night sky over Lepel was illuminated by a festive fireworks display.
Elena Telyatko.
In the photos: rain is not a hindrance to the holiday; a wonderful children's town – a wonderful gift for the girls and boys of Lepel, as well as their parents.
Photos by the author.