In hopes of attracting more visitors and residents downtown all year long in Sylvan Lake, the local Chamber of Commerce is hard at work on a Winter Village.

The vision is to light up the pier in Sylvan Lake Provincial Park, create more community spirit with a place to gather, host bon fires, sip on hot chocolate, and even take a sleigh ride.

The Town stepped up with $27,000 in funding for the project this week, Communications Co-ordinator Joanne Gaudet says it's a great initiative to partner on.

“We could use various activities there as well; certainly it would be a part of our Light up the Lake celebrations in late November early December. The lighting of the Christmas tree and that sort of thing, but just given we have our big public skating rink down there, it’s along the lakeshore, we’re trying to drive people to the downtown, it could become a bit of a destination”.

The Waterfront Commercial District Revitalization Committee, a subcommittee of the Chamber is behind the concept, committee Chair Charlie Everest says that destination concept is their goal.

“Get more traffic into the downtown core of Sylvan Lake and let residents know and the outlying communities that Sylvan Lake is a town for all seasons, it’s not just a summer beach town, we want to get people more involved with the downtown core especially, all seasons”.

Everest says they are heading out to local businesses this week looking for support.

“So we’re getting local businesses involved with our sponsorship program that they can sponsor a tree or they can sponsor a planter outside on the main street on Lakeshore Drive, with a plaque advertising their company or business and they decorate their little planter box however they want to decorate it”.

The group is hopeful they'll get the new Winter Village off the ground this year, and build on it each year.