It is back by popular demand.
On June 8, Barrhead’s annual Street Festival will take over Main Street, providing people of all ages with a day of affordable fun.
Vicki-Dawn Driessen, chair of the organizing committee, said the festival has been taking place for at least 15 years in some form.
This year’s incarnation of the festival is organized by a committee comprised of the local business community.
All the activities will take place along Main Street are free with the exception of food vendors and anything a person purchases from one of the home-based market vendors.
Festivities kick off at 9 a.m. with a free pancake breakfast sponsored by the Friends of the Barrhead Public Library at St. Anne’s Parish Hall. The festuvak will go to about 4 p.m.
The Parish Hall will also play host to two performances at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. of Kompany Family Theatre’s children’s production of The Adventures of the Squeally-Moo Pirates, featuring Jessica Andrews. The play is 45-minutes long and its target audience is children from three to 10 years old.
“They come highly recommended and the company has performed at Edmonton’s Fringe Festival,” she said.
At the other end of Main Street, Footworks Dance Academy will be entertaining audiences with two separate dance performances at 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Dancers from the company will also be putting on circus apparatus demonstrations throughout the day.
“Whenever possible we tried to arrange the activities in such a way so they would have to go up and down Main Street multiple times, so they have an opportunity to see what all the different merchants are offering for the festival,” she said, noting many businesses have special festival promotions as well as various activities.
The first one is the Chopped Challenge, based on the Food Network TV show ‘Chopped’, where chefs compete and turn baskets of mystery ingredients into a three-course meal.
Dennis Donkers of Barrhead Bakery will give children a group of ingredients so they can come up with their own culinary masterpieces.
The other event, while not technically part of the festival is the Rotary Club sponsored BBQ Cook-Off. The service club will also be sponsoring a beer garden, which is seperate from the main event.
Also back by popular demand is the home-based vendors market, petting zoo, go-karts, pony rides, face painting and balloon artists. Barrhead Regional Fire Services for the third straight year will be holding its junior firefighter challenge, where youngsters (along with their adult helper) are put through their paces in a one-on-one challenge to see who can put out a burning house faster.
New this year will an airbrushing tattoo booth, a bean bag game/cotton candy booth and street-hockey competition.
Driessen added they are still looking for people who like to participate in the event by putting on an activity or with a financial contribution.
“We want to keep the event as affordable as possible for people. Most of the activities are free and we couldn’t do it without the help of people, organizations, and businesses who contribute in some way. Without them, there wouldn’t be a street festival,” she said.
To get involved in the Street Festival, call Driessen at the Scotiabank at 780-674-8400, ext. 4300 or e-mail at [email protected].
