The annual Springbank Old Tyme Fall Fair is back for the 42nd year and will be a celebration of both the past and the future of the community.
The events will take place at the Springbank Park For All Seasons Saturday, Sept. 6.
“The Springbank community has a large legacy of farming in the area and we think it’s important” said Lisa Constantineau, assistant administrative coordinator – marketing with the Springbank Park For All Seasons.
She pointed out that the farming industry in this area is slowly dwindling with farmers selling off their farms and not as many people moving into agriculture as a career choice.
Constantineau said events like the fall fair are important to the community and remembering that legacy.
The fun begins at 8 a.m. with a pancake breakfast put on by the Lions Club. The sixth annual family fun 5k walk and run and the Kristen Lee Coutts memorial 10k run will also kick off at 8 a.m.
Constantineau said the run and walk is $35 to enter and people can register all the way up until the day of the event.
Also at 8 a.m., the second annual four-on-four ball hockey tournament will start. There will be a division for under-18 and a division for adults. The winners will receive a cup at the end.
Constantineau said the agriculture and horticulture bench show will run from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. and will include arts, crafts and gardening displays for visitors to see.
Constantineau said there would be a market running at the same time with over 70 vendors from all over the area including Springbank, Calgary and Cochrane. She said these vendors would be community groups and groups who would have hand-crafted merchandise and food.
There will also be a live entertainment stage that will include local dancers and musicians, the Chinook Country Line Dancers and Prairie Heat – who are returning to the festival for the third year.
A new addition to the fair that Constantineau mentioned would be the climbing walls and the Kid Zone. The zone will have bouncy castles, games and face painting.
There will also be agricultural displays with farm animals and farm education from local farmers in the area, something Constantineau said the Springbank Park For All Seasons hoped to continue with even after the fair.
“Our vision for the fair moving forward is that we teach the new residents of Springbank how they can help maintain agriculture in their own backyard,” Constantineau said. “We want to move forward and teach them how they can grow their own garden and be self-sustaining.”
Constantineau said they are still accepting volunteers and sponsors for the event.
For more information visit springbank.ab.ca.
