ATHABASCA – It’s going to be a busy day in Athabasca June 17 as the Alley Cat festival returns, and the Athabasca District Ag Society unveils its new Summer Kickoff, which will run June 16-17.
The Alley Cat Festival (which despite the name is no longer being held in an alley) will take place along 49th Street, which will be shut down for the duration of the event from 11 a.m., to 4 p.m.
“We’re really trying to make it a town wide garage sale or sidewalk sale,” said Eunice Reichstein, who helped organize the festival as the Athabasca Chamber of Commerce representative, alongside Pam Illomin from the Athabasca Advocate.
“We’ll have different entertainment throughout the day; there’s going to be a couple of musicians, a DJ, and there’s going to be a clown for a portion of the day.”
Individual tables at the festival cost $10 for businesses and $5 for non-profits or individuals.
While the event hasn’t changed much, this year’s proceeds will be going to the Second Chance Animal Rescue Society (SCARS), who take in strays from many areas, including Athabasca County.
“This is being brought to Athabasca through the Chamber and the Advocate, so rather then someone pocketing that money, or just not charging at all for a table , we decided to donate it to SCARS, which is an organization that really needs the support.”
Summer Kickoff
The Athabasca District Ag Society will be unveiling a new event June 16-17, which they’re calling the Summer Kickoff. The two-day event features something for all ages, starting with a Tack and Trade show at 4 p.m. on Saturday, and finishing with a dance that’ll run throughout Sunday evening.
Part of the event is going to be about exposing people to new things. Like the Alley Cat Festival, ag society president Camille Wallach says that the event isn’t just aimed at AU grads.
“Things like the junior rodeo are a big deal for us, trying to get exposure for kids that have not had exposure to that the last few years due to COVID-19. This one will be a fun event, you don’t need to have any experience, so it’ll really just be about getting kids out and getting them exposed to the sport,” said Wallach.
“During COVID, Hallmark made these movies that romanticized small towns, so we really just want to show off what we have here! So stuff like that kids rodeo, 4-H will be doing a critters corner where they bring all their animals and there’s going to be some farm equipment from the John Deere dealership in town,” she added.
A major part of any festivities is food, and the ag society has that covered as well. Friday will feature a community hot dog roast, as well as beer gardens, and Saturday will have the 'Hey Athabasca, Show Us Your Meat!' BBQ competition, where competitors will compete for a $250 cash prize and a trophy.
