On Saturday, 6 September, nearly 600 people from all over Valga and further afield gathered at Hargla village square to take part in the Community Day. The day offered a varied programme of cultural, sports and children's activities, and provided an opportunity to celebrate community unity.
According to Marika Muru, Community and Cooperation Projects Specialist at Valga Municipality and the main organiser of the event, the aim of the Community Day was to initiate a new nationwide tradition, so that there would be more communication and interaction between different regions.
During the day you could take part in a number of workshops, make dream catchers, wind chimes and notebooks from old books, and make bookmarks and badges with torches in the NGO Keychain tent. An information booth was open in Koivamaa, where hiking trails, tourism opportunities and local flavours were presented.
Monika Rogenbaum, the Mayor of Valga Municipality, in her welcome address to the gathering, stressed the importance of sticking together and working together, and highlighted the great contribution and good work of communities in developing different areas. „Good ideas can be found from far and near, and it is often a good idea to take a lead from a neighbouring village if we know and are interested in what they are doing,” she said.
A special place in the programme was occupied by discussion groups, led by Aet Arula-Piir from the Valgamaa Development Agency. The audience took part in discussions about the history of Hargla County, community life, the strength of the Taheva region and the value of its uniqueness. Varje Sootak Varje Sootak, Lea Radsin, Monika Rogenbaum and Kalev Raudsepp were among the local people who took part in the discussions.
The Chairman of the Valga Municipal Council Lauri Drubinš expressed his gratitude to the organizing team and assured that the greatest value of Valga Municipality is our people and cooperation. „All our regions are important and together we will make Valga municipality a better place to live. It's great that today's event will create contacts and provide entertainment for young and old alike,” said the council president.
The children's area was full of fun all day long - crafts, trampolines, horse riding, sumo wrestling and petting animals provided activities for children and families. There were also games led by Kelly, the party leader, and horse and carriage rides organised by Elukutsar OÜ.
More sporty visitors had the chance to try their hand at six different activities ranging from basketball to reaction play. A raffle was held to collect sports pass stamps, and there were also team challenges in the regions.
On the cultural stage, there were performances by groups and performers from different regions of Valga municipality, among them Hargla folk band, Senjoorad, Tõlliste-Puka-Sangaste mixed choir, JJ-Street dance school and many others. The day was closed by the band Kruuv with a successful concert.
The local caterers played a big role - wraps, soups, barbecue and sweet delicacies. The public's favourites were revealed in an apple pie and jam competition, where the public could taste and vote for themselves.
Sirje Kütt won gold, Anita Maran silver and Urve Viks bronze for the best apple pie!
Jandra Mölder won gold, Henri Luht silver and Sirje Kütt bronze for the best home-made jam!
In addition to the Valga municipality, many volunteers, the Valga Open Youth Centre, the Valga Cultural Centre, the Hargla County Culture House, the Valga Central Library, several non-profit organisations and cultural collectives, as well as Aet Arula-Piir, who led the discussion groups, contributed to the success of the event. Thanks to such a great team, the day was a great success.
At the end of the day, the venue for next year's Community Day was also drawn. In 2026, the same day will be held in the Õru region. See you in Õru!