BARRHEAD - Every year, the Barrhead Agricultural Society sets a goal: to create a Blue Heron Fair Days that has a little something for everyone.
Longtime organizer Brenda Visser believes the fair committee has done precisely that by bringing back some of the most successful elements of recent years.
However, she said the proof is in the pudding, noting that in the end, it will be up to fairgoers to decide whether they have been successful.
Daily passes for the fair are $20 for adults (17 and older), $10 (youths six to 16) and children five and under are free. Two-day passes are $30 and $15. Tickets are available at the gate, and for the first time, Interact and credit card payment options are available. Fairgoers can also pay online via Showpass.com.
Festivities officially begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday in the ag barn with a horse show.
An hour later, parade starts at 10 a.m. in Barrhead's downtown area. Lineup begins at 8:30 a.m. on Elevator Road and the theme of the parade is "Shine Bright".
The main gates open at 11 a.m. on Saturday (10 a.m. on Sunday), with festivities starting at noon with the opening of the inflatable village, face painters and balloon artists.
At 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday in Bablitz Exhibition Hall, Muddle Puddle Productions will stage its popular Triple Fun Show, a 45-minute interactive performance featuring music and dancing where the audience helps decide the direction of the production.
Visser noted the stage shows, while appropriate for everyone, are more geared toward younger audiences.
The performers will meet with young fairgoers in between performances and help them unlock their imagination at their creation station.
"It is a new attraction for us that comes highly recommended. I know one of our committee members, a young mother, was very excited that we could bring them in," she said.
Visser added that making a return appearance at the fair by popular demand is the Global FMX Motocross Show.
"It is a world-class show that features former X Games athletes who perform some amazing stunts with their dirtbikes. People who saw them last year were amazed at the stunts they performed," she said.
The Global FMX athletes will perform two shows Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and Sunday at 4:30 p.m.
Two other attractions are also returning, the first being a mobile escape room from about five years ago, which has been re-tooled from their previous visit. The mobile platform now has two scenarios for puzzle enthusiasts to escape from a starship and Leonardo Da Vinci's workshop.
The other is the mini-chuckwagon races that first appeared at last year's fair and will kick off the main Wildrose Rodeo Association rodeos on Saturday and Sunday.
And as always, Visser said during intermission, popular children's events such as the calf scramble, boot race and sheep riding would be making an appearance.
The mobile escape room is open Saturday and Sunday, while the mini chuckwagons will perform Saturday at 4 p.m. and Sunday at noon, while rodeo action starts at 5 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Closing Saturday's events in the Bablitz Exhibition Hall at 9 p.m. will be a concert featuring Fort Saskatchewan native and country artist Donny Lee. Tickets are $25.
On Sunday, the day begins at 8 a.m., with the slack rodeo and the gymkhana at 11 a.m.
Visser also noted that for the first time on Sunday, in the Bablitz Exhibition Hall, they will have a commercial marketplace. As of Aug. 1, the society already had 29 vendors confirmed.
"We have put a lot of effort to make sure the fair is a success and that everyone who attends leaves entertained," Visser said. "For the price of admission, we believe that you get a lot of value, and we hope everyone else thinks so too."
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
