One of the best vacation destinations in southern Saskatchewan is just an hour and a half or so up the road from Estevan at the village of Kenosee Lake. Officially becoming a village in 1987, Kenosee may not have the same long history as some of the communities around it, but it's got plenty of excitement to offer in the present. 

"Busy times up here this summer," said acting Mayor Edward Plumb. "Lots of people camping and doing stuff. The lake has been really busy. We've got a couple of people building new homes. Our new playground and greenspace area are going now, we've got the playground equipment in there and the gazebo built."

So the village is about as busy as you could expect a community of 234 to be at any given time, and it makes sense they would be busy at this time of year. After all, as a great cottaging and vacation spot, summer is the bustling time in the Kenosee area. 

"It's probably the best place in southern Saskatchewan to live," Plumb said. "We're right beside the Moose Mountain Provincial Park, just beside the entrance to the park." He added that he had heard the park had recently gotten provincial funding for their boat launch. 

Kenosee Lake has had to make some adjustments in the time of COVID-19, as all hamlets, villages, towns, cities, and RMs inevitably have. Yet the virus hasn't brought the world to a stop out there.

"People have been doing quite a bit of work around their homes and cottages, and in the village especially," said Plumb. "Because of the COVID too, people have been sticking around so they are doing updates and renos and stuff to their homes."

Plumb added the village hadn't maybe seen the influx of people from close by who normally travel farther afield, as other villages have reported seeing. But the village is not only not just sitting on its hands during COVID-19, it's actively expanding. 

"We're really looking forward to finishing up our greenspace area," he said. "We've got some upgrades to our water treatment plant coming in the next year or two... we've got two new homes going in and there's more coming. It's going to be a happening place for the next couple of years."

Plumb added the village has opened up 13 new lots on top of the two new homes that are going in.