At the horseshoe pits behind Jarvie Community Hall, Marg Wintonyk sets up her throw for a ringer. Behind her, people had already gathered for the lawnmower races, all part of the July 27 Jarvie Days celebrations.
A dreary day couldn’t keep the residents of Jarvie from coming together for food, fireworks and a good time with friends.
The grounds at the Jarvie Community Center played host to another Jarvie Days July 26-27, which, along with the usual parade, pancake breakfast and activities for the kids, introduced a horseshoe tournament to accompany the always popular lawnmower races, which are in their fourth year.
Race organizer Dustin Gibson explained that two tractors at a time go for three laps around the track, which is laid out in hay bales. The first one across the line moves up the bracket to face the winner of another match. The races continue until the two fastest racers end up in the final.
“Whoever keeps all four wheels on the ground,” said Gibson, are the ones to look out for when you’re in the stands.
After an accident last year when a lawnmower shot into the crowd and injured a spectator, organizers added extra safety railings along the track and moved the crowd further back.
“You can use any lawn mower you have around the house. Just add two pulleys, one in the front and one in the back and add a foot pedal,” said Daryl Chapotelle, a Jarvie local who took to the race track for the second time.
When he got the call from Gibson, he said, “Sure, I’ll do it.”
His two daughters were also there to watch and support their dad, filming from the announcer’s stage. When Chapotelle rolled over into the hay bales after a hairpin turn, both ran to help him, but he was all smiles in a cloud of smoke from the lawnmower that now refused to start.
They said they liked to watch their dad, but it is a little scary.
Nonetheless, Chapotelle gave it another try and finished his run with no incidents. He shot some dirt in the air at the turn he had missed, but went through it fast. Anybody could spot him after his second race with his face covered in dirt and a big smile, his daughters at his side.
For Chapotelle, it wasn’t all about the competition.
“I just like the dirt.”
Some racers came over from as far away as Fort Assiniboine, where Jarvie Days organizer Andrea Gibson said they’re a lot more serious about their lawnmower racing. They host at least three races a year there, and now Jarvie is a destination for them too.
“It’s starting to get bigger and bigger,” said Dustin Gibson.
At the horseshoe pits there was quite the crowd too. A couple of days prior, the pits were moved right behind the community centre, so they attracted even the less experienced competitors. There, it was all laughs in the first competition of the day, that was temporarily interrupted at the start of the lawnmower races.
The clouds let loose around 3 p.m., with heavy rain coming down and disrupting what many call the Jarvie Olympics.
