It always seems it is a few people who spoil good things for the rest. At a recent Cypress County council meeting, it was decided that liquor bans would be imposed over the May long weekend at both Sandy Point campground and Cavan Lake.
Sandy Point has become a favourite place for Medicine Hat high school graduates to go to have a weekend of celebration and relaxation before they leave high school and go out into the big world as responsible adults.
For a number of years, having the large group of campers at Sandy Point has not been much of an issue for Redcliff RCMP officers as campers stayed within the boundaries of the campground, turned the music down at a reasonable hour, and took the time to clean up after themselves before leaving the premises. In fact, county mountie Mark McCarthy said on one occasion the park was left in pristine condition. That all changed last year when a group of older campers from several different communities arrived and did not show the same respect for their fellow campers and for the park as previous campers had done.
Vandalism, including the chopping down of a tree, took place. A mattress was thrown onto the fire, potentialy creating a very dangerous situation.
Had the tents in the park caught flame, the result could have been tragic and with the park being situated in the bottom of a deep valley with no cellphone signal, the damage could have been extensive and deadly before emergency response teams would have had a chance to arrive.
Because of these actions and a couple of incidents of impaired driving, the county has made the right decision in imposing the ban at Sandy Point, as well as Cavan Lake. Despite 95 percent of the campers acting in a responsible manner, the few who did not have the respect for their fellow campers, the park or themselves, there will be no drinking allowed.
This is unfortunate because these high school graduates should have a place where they can let loose a bit, in a safe manner. It is much better to have them congregated in one area that can be monitored than have them party in an undisclosed location and not know if any are putting their young lives at risk by getting behind the wheel and driving.
Those who are off a more mature generation can remember well what it was like to be young and to celebrate the  end of the past 12  years of public education. Some too, can  recall losing a high school  friend who made a poor decision, got behind the wheel while intoxicated, and ultimately paid for that error with their lives. Some can also see a friend who wears the scars from a fire when somebody wanted to show off and threw something unsafe onto the campfire.
The reason Cypress County put this liquor ban in place was to minimize the chances of a tragedy happening within the boundaries of the campgrounds they are responsible for. They, as much as anybody else, would like to see people enjoy the May long weekend, but they also want to ensure everybody gets home safely at the end of it.