Decisions, decisions

Most years it's easy. The skies are clear and all weather forecasts call for a beautiful Saturday. Last year we weren't so lucky. The forecast called for rain, and rain it did — all day Saturday — forcing Deegan and his staff to pull out Plan B and hold a scaled-down version of the event indoors.

But as last year's rain-soaked day proved, holding Family Day inside the arena is not an attractive option; popular events such as the egg toss and water balloon toss could not be held, for obvious reasons, and the echo-y indoor acoustics mixed up all the music into a loud cacophony that was more irritating than festive.

This year, it looked like we might have a repeat of last year's lesser (but still worthwhile) event. But Deegan decided to take a calculated risk with the weather and, even though Saturday morning broke grey and drizzly, he optimistically held his ground against the clouds, convinced that they would soon disperse. And they did. The result was an excellent Family Day, with all the old favourites back for another year, this time relocated onto a slightly soggy east playing field.

There were not nearly as many people this time, as the weather probably discouraged several potential attendees that morning — but that made for a much easier time for those who did show up. Reduced attendance meant that all the lines were shorter than usual, be it for the high ride in the Hydro Westmount cherry picker, the excellent burgers and hot dogs cooked up by the local scouts, or the big inflatable games set up for younger children along Melville Avenue. As they say, a great time was had by all.

And, for those who may actually keep track of such things, my daughter and I opted out of the water balloon toss this year, retiring undefeated from our 2006 and 2007 victories, a stunning athletic record that will no doubt stand for many years to come.