Chestermere’s longest running public event is set to return to the lakeside city on Sept. 11, when the Rocky View Chestermere Agricultural Society’s annual Country Fair rolls into town.
According to Andrea Fleming, the ag society’s president, Chestermere’s country fair has been an annual fixture in the community for more than 30 years. While the society was unable to host the event due to COVID-19 restrictions last year, she said residents are excited for the festivities to return to the Chestermere Regional Recreation Centre on Sept. 11.
“Attendance is always great and I think this year it will be even higher, given that people haven’t had many things to go to or many activities to get out to,” she said.
“There truly is something for everyone at the country fair. The spirit of community is high and you can definitely feel it.”
The day-long celebration will feature plenty of traditional fair activities, including a pancake breakfast, parade, red-ribbon bench show, a children’s play zone, and an indoor market. Other highlights include zucchini races in the curling rink and a rabbit show put on by the Southern Alberta Rabbit Breeders Association.
The bench show will include competitions in various categories, such as baking, art, photography and gardening. According to Fleming, prizes will be awarded to the best entries, with red ribbons handed out to the first-place contestants in each category.
A new highlight for the fair this year is the inclusion of rodeo events, featuring mutton bustin’, junior and gentlemen's bull-riding. As part of the gentlemen's bull-riding component, Fleming said a group of first-time bull-riders will test their mettle, with each rider raising money for a chosen charity.
Fleming said the addition of rodeo at this year's fair stems from the success of a bull-riding event the ag society put on earlier this summer – Bulls on the Beach, which was held at the Chestermere Corral on July 23.
“It went so well and we had such amazing positive feedback from the community that we decided we were going to see if we could swing another one to go in conjunction with the country fair,” she said. “Bull Riders Canada decided they would sanction another event for us, so we’re going to do it again, with some other fun stuff happening in the corral.”
As of press time, the ag society was still looking for several dozen volunteers to help ensure the country fair runs smoothly this year. Volunteers are needed to assist with set-up and take-down, clean-up, judging for the bench show, and at the corral.
Fleming said the fair is a fun outing for both families and individuals. She added Chestermere residents have embraced the opportunity to attend public gatherings again this summer now that COVID-19 health measures are lifted. Past iterations of the fair attracted thousands of attendees.
“Based on Bulls on the Beach, people were really happy to see their neighbours and friends they maybe hadn’t seen in a long time due to COVID restrictions,” she said. “I think it will be similar with this event. I’m not sure what attendance was like for Music Fest [on Aug. 14], but this will be one of the biggest events our ag society puts on for the community of Chestermere, and Rocky View residents as well.”
For more information on the Chestermere Country Fair and a schedule of events, visit the Rocky View Chestermere Agricultural Society or Chestermere Country Fair Facebook pages.
While admission to the harvest market and bench show is free, some components of the country fair have admission prices associated with them. Entry ranges from $10 for access to just the kids zone, to $35-50 for individual corral admission, to $150 for an all-day family pass for up to four people. Visit bit.ly/3k5glmd for more information.
Scott Strasser, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @scottstrasser19
