The Wild Wild West Event Centre (WWWEC) in Springbank certainly hasn’t put the cart before the horse.
Owners Diane and Michael Werbisky have been operating the venue since 2005, adding an unmistakable country flair to events held at their facilities, and recently added the weekly Country Farmer’s Market to the mix.
“We have a beautiful view of the (Rocky) Mountains here and we’re a short distance from Calgary. We want to give people a ‘Day in the Country,’ and give them the opportunity to buy unique products,” said Michael Werbisky.
The Country Market opened for its first day under WWWEC management June 8, and will be running every Saturday until Oct. 12, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. More than 30 vendors sold items including honey products, hand-made jewelry, fresh fruits and vegetables, horse tack and home-baked pies.
One vendor, Carole Blouin, an owner of Buzzy Bee Honey – an apiary with hives in Bearspaw and northwest of Airdrie, said she was excited to sell and educate people about her local honey products. Her display at the market included creamed, liquid and flavoured honey, wax candles, honeycomb and bee pollen.
“It’s a nice environment out here and it’s nice to be able to talk to people about what we do,” said Blouin, who added her products are a healthy alternative to sugar because they don’t have any chemicals or additives.
Dylan Nosal, 26, and Merritt Gordon, 24, also appealed to market-goers’ taste buds with the opening of their new business venture, Louisiette’s Café. Permanently located in the WWWEC, the café sells a variety of French pastries and sandwiches made on-site.
“This is the type of food I like to eat, so I enjoy making it for other people to enjoy,” said Gordon, a trained chef from Calgary.
But the Werbiskys said although they offer many unique and quality products, their market is different from the others in the county because of its atmosphere.
The couple has also been operating Authentic Western Productions since
1982, specializing in providing western entertainment like gunfight shows, horse-drawn hayrides and live music, as well as western décor for large events like the Calgary Stampede.
They brought many of these elements to the weekend market, from cowboys on horses greeting people as they arrive to the pony rides available for a donation.
“There’s plenty of things for the kids to do, lots of green grass to enjoy the fresh air and sun, and live music,” said Michael Werbisky as the in-house band, Wild Bill and the Bandits, pumped out country tunes in the background.
For more information about the Country Market and WWWEC, visit wildwildwestcalgary.com.
