The wet weather this past weekend forced the inaugural Clyde Summer Solstice Festival to be postponed until Saturday, June 25.
Linda McCoy, one of the main organizers of the festival, said they made the decision early Saturday morning to re-schedule the event after seeing what the weather was like.
“We just knew we wouldn’t get many people in attendance,” she said.
The only event to actually go ahead was the pancake breakfast in the morning, which was hosted at the Clyde Seniors’ Drop-in Centre.
“We had a great turnout for breakfast,” said McCoy, adding that about 250 people came out.
With the exception of the pancake breakfast, the festival will follow roughly the same schedule on its new date on June 25. The parade will still begin at roughly 11 a.m., beginning at the school and winding through the village.
The children’s gymkhana will begin at noon on the Clyde Agricultural Society grounds on the east side of the village. This gymkhana is open to riders under 17 and will feature barrels, poles and egg races. Registration is $5 per event.
Kids’ activities will also begin at that time.The Ag Society grounds will have an inflatable bouncy-house, petting zoo, pony carousel, money pit, a “greased pig chase” and a goat-untying competition.
There will also be a beer gardens and slo-pitch tournament at the Ag Society grounds.
“We really want people to come out. We still have a great parade lined up and lots of kids’ activities,” said McCoy.
This is the first time that the Clyde Agricultural Society has put on the festival. The summer solstice, which actually falls on June 21, was picked as the theme for the event because it’s generally regarded as the start of summer.
McCoy noted they had calls from as far away as Lac La Biche to ask if the event was still going ahead.
