Jarvie Days has become a popular fixture in that community, and every year it seems to get bigger.
What started as a slow-pitch tournament has grown to include a weekend full of activities and, new this year, a local producers’ market and a music jamboree. The event runs July 29-31.
“We’ve been to a few jamborees, and we’ve invited some people down,” said Roberta Turnbull, one of the event’s organizers. “We’ll have music in the afternoon, then a chili supper, and some more music in the evening.”
The idea to add the music jamboree to the event came about because of the strong jamboree community in this part of Alberta.
“There’s a big music jamboree community in this area. They gather in Smith, in Athabasca, in Westlock and so on,” she said. “Everybody’s quite familiar with it.”
The local producers’ market is also new this year, and will give local food growers a chance to show off their wares.
Of course, the traditional staples of this event will also be going on as per usual. Most of the action will be on Saturday, with a pancake breakfast at the hall starting at 8 a.m. That will be followed by a parade at 11 a.m. through town, which historically has been a big hit.
“We found the last couple of years that the parade is what really draws people into town, so it’s up to us to keep them and enjoy the festivities,” Turnbull said. “There was about 30 floats last year, and it grew a little bit. You never know how many people are coming, and of course it’s always dependent on weather, too.”
The store in Jarvie is now up and running, and Turnbull said they have offered to provide a free ice cream cone for all the children who take part in the parade this year.
“We really want to encourage the kids to be a part of it — just to decorate bicycles, walk dogs and cats or whatever — it’s just fun in the parade,” she said.
The second annual Ted Latawiec Memorial Horseshoe tournament will start at 2 p.m. Latawiec was active in the community and was fierce competitor on the horseshoe pitch.
Another unique event this year will be a competition on Saturday afternoon to guess the live weight of Owen the steer, which is kept as a pet by some local farmers.
“They’ve offered to bring him in and let everybody guess his weight,” Turnbull said. People will make a small contribution per guess, and whoever guesses closest will get part of the contributions.
The day will finish off with a steak supper at the hall, followed by fireworks at dusk.
Sunday will see another pancake breakfast, while the jamboree starts at 3 p.m.
Turnbull said the event has grown through the efforts of the volunteers, who are the main reason the community is as strong as it is.
The event is hosted by the Jarvie Community Council, which comprises representatives from the various volunteer organizations in the community and area.
The council is involved in a variety of efforts to support Jarvie, and their main fundraising focus for this year is to get a new kitchen built in the hall.
For more information about the event, contact Jim or Roberta Turnbull at 780-954-2669, and for information about the slow pitch tournament contact Kim Klein at 780-954-2513.
