Skip to content

Hope mom invites community to a ‘wave train’ to celebrate son’s 5th birthday

Birthday parades have been popping up all over the country, as COVID-19 makes parties a no go
21233314_web1_200416-HSL-BirthdayParade-WEB-1_1
Elias is turning five and his mom Laina Rodney is inviting the community to partake in a wave train to celebrate. Submitted photo

Elias’ fifth birthday is on Friday and without being able to have a big party for him, his mom Laina Rodney doing the next best thing by inviting the community to a ‘wave train’ in his honour.

Rodney says community members, friends and family are invited to join the ‘wave train’ and drive by their Swallow Place home around 1 p.m. Friday (April 10) to wish Elias happy birthday from a distance. Anyone can join in, Rodney said, and are welcome to deck out their cars or just drive by for a wave.

For anyone who wants to flex their artistic muscles, we’ve been informed that Elias really likes Ghostbusters, dinosaurs and anything to do with trains. And while the wave-train has a start-time of 1 p.m., Rodney adds she and Elias will be sitting outside for the afternoon.

“He doesn’t quite understand what’s going on with everything in the world right now, he keeps asking about his party. So I figured that this was the next best thing,” Rodney said, as the public health orders and recommendations from B.C.’s provincial health officer warn not to get within six feet of other people and avoid travel and socializing during the Easter weekend.

Birthday parades have been popping up all across the country. For some inspiration, check out parades held in Yellowknife, Boundary and Qualicum Beach.

Elias has a compromised immune system and the family spent Christmas in the hospital, so not being able to have a party has been a hard pill to swallow Rodney said.

For kids in Hope who might be in the same boat as her family, Rodney said she will he happy to return the favour. “Because there’s going to be a lot of kids and a lot of people who have birthdays that can’t have parties,” she said.



emelie.peacock@hopestandard.com

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter