The sun came out and so did the people. With many new attractions and perfect weather at Chestermere’s 24th Annual Country Fair there was no shortage of citizens who took advantage of what the day’s events had to offer.
“What a fantastic weekend for a community gathering – there were so many people out and so many things to do” says Bruce McAllister, Wildrose MLA for Chestermere-Rocky View, who along with his family enjoyed everything the fair had to offer. “There are new faces every year, and somehow all the volunteers and organizers pull it all together – I know my family, like so many others, had a great time.”
Event organizers guess that in total, over 10,000 people took in this year’s fair making it the largest in a long time.
Hosted by the Chestermere Agricultural Society in along with the support of the Chestermere Regional Community Association, the fair was kick started with the parade which did not disappoint.
Parade Marshalls, Rosemarie & Terry Greening, representing Calgary 4-H Southpaws Club, headed the procession followed by a variety of enthusiastic folks promoting their groups on decorated floats, boats, vintage vehicles and even bicycles.
Such fabulous effort is put into creating these fun and cheerful parade entries and of course no parade is complete without horses, bagpipes and a marching band and lots of candy!
The variety of vendors, food and entertainment kept people busy throughout the day. The Chestermere Lions Club Pancake Breakfast fueled the crowds while raising money to support other community initiatives.
The new World’s Longest Hockey Game Dunk Tank was popular, with some of the team members getting dunked repeatedly thanks to the good aim of the many partakers. Hockey Marathon organizers are busy planning the upcoming event slated to be held once again at the Chestermere Rec Centre in May 2014.
Performances on the Main Entertainment Stage sponsored by The Lake Recording Studio were exciting; with the big hit being an afternoon show by The Keister Family Fiddlers. This group of high-energy performers truly keeps getting better and better, forever captivating crowds each time they pick up their fiddles.
Animal lovers were treated to special events including performances by the Canadian Rabbit Hopping Club and trick riding groups as well as a Gymkhana riding competition.
Children enjoyed the opportunity to spend time in ‘Kid Zone’ where they could visit the petting zoo, play in the bouncy houses, have their face painted in just about any image and make arts and crafts. 4 Cats Art Studio from Inglewood was on location with a giant paint spinning wheel for kids to exercise their artistic side while getting creative with colors.
One highlight within the Kid Zone which saw a steady stream of impressed viewers was the clever border collies belonging to Jill Brodie. These incredible dogs showed off their talents by herding a flock of ducks around the outdoor area. The quality of training was evident when you witnessed the intelligent K-9’s respond to the faint whistle commands of their master by moving the birds around the wide open park.
Inside the curling rink was the ever popular Red Ribbon Competition. Categories of entries ranged everywhere from canning to coloring and photography to beer making. Ribbons were awarded for each winner and trophies were given to overall champions in nine categories. This year saw the 1st ever Art trophy donated by the Billings Family which was awarded to Shelby Rawlusyk, for most overall points in the Art category.
As usual, the very popular Pie Auction fundraiser was a huge success in support of STARS. Bill Brown from Elevate Auctions was on hand to act as volunteer auctioneer and helped to bring in over $2000 for the charity from the 27 pies that were up for grabs.
“It’s a pleasure to volunteer here in this great town by helping out with this event” says Brown. “I always have so much fun here.”
Successful bidders looked delighted to go home with the yummy baked pies and everyone enjoyed the atmosphere where at times the competition for certain pies became fierce. Entries included pies from The Chestermere RCMP and Firefighters, Mayor Matthews, Patrick Watson from the Knights of Columbus and many individual families.
The pie that went for the most was a Honey Peach Pie, baked by Jennifer Peddlesden which brought in a whopping $180.00.
The action pack day ended with the free Country Fair Family Dance with over 150 people in attendance. Turn Em’ Loose Band was rocking the house and kept everyone up and dancing.
The Chestermere Agricultural Society as well as the numerous volunteers and sponsors who put in countless hours planning and running our town’s events deserve a pat on the back for all their hard work.
“Thank you to all the volunteers without whom this event couldn’t take place” says Vicki Klinger, Recreation Program Coordinator for the Chestermere Regional Community Association. “It takes at least 100 volunteers to pull this off!”
