Sackville resident Molly Tomlik remembers doing lantern walks as a kid, to celebrate the winter solstice, the shortest day–and longest night–of the year. When she had a family of her own, she decided to continue the tradition. “I remembered how magical they were,” says Tomlik, “and so I wanted to do that with my kids.”
Tomlik is also a member of the Tantramar Outdoor Club, and when the group expressed interest in creating some family friendly events to get folks outside, Tomlik suggested taking the solstice tradition to the community. “We thought this would be awesome to share with everybody,” says Tomlik. “And it was event you could do outside during the pandemic.”
Last year was the first publicly advertised Solstice Lantern Walk inviting local residents to participate, and the reaction was enthusiastic. Tomlik says there were about 85 people carrying lights in the darkness, snaking through the Waterfowl Park and past the Drew Nursing Home. This year, she’s hoping for even more. The town of Tantramar is co-hosting the event.
Lanterns can be homemade or store bought, and not everyone needs a lantern in order to join the walk, says Tomlik. “It’s really cool to have your own lantern, but when you go in a group and you see everybody else’s lanterns all around you, and you see the light bobbing from across the Waterfowl Park, it’s a really neat experience,” says Tomlik. “And we’re hoping that some photographers might come out and capture some of the images this year as well.”
This year’s event takes place Thursday, December 21, at 6pm. Participants are asked to gather starting at 5:45pm in the lot behind the Painted Pony/Salvation Army Thrift Store building, at the corner of Weldon and Bridge Street. The walk will go through the Waterfowl Park and around the Drew Nursing Home before returning to the starting point.
