Ah, the Westlock Fair is here at last. An occasion for both celebration and a little bit of sadness, for what is fair weekend if not the signal that summer has come to an end? After all, there is literally only one week left before the start of public school once the fair is done. In a lot of ways, the fair is a going-out party for the summer, one last chance to enjoy the sunny weather before the fall sets in and we head back to class/work/whatever.
Ah, the Westlock Fair is here at last. An occasion for both celebration and a little bit of sadness, for what is fair weekend if not the signal that summer has come to an end?
After all, there is literally only one week left before the start of public school once the fair is done. In a lot of ways, the fair is a going-out party for the summer, one last chance to enjoy the sunny weather before the fall sets in and we head back to class/work/whatever.
Now, whether the weather is really all that sunny that weekend remains to be seen. But let's hope that Mother Nature cuts us a break and lays off of the rainstorms for just a couple days.
The slate of attractions from this year is largely the same as previous years: the parade on Friday morning, followed by the opening of the midway, the rodeo, the beef and light horse shows, the NCABL semi-finals, a horseshoe tournament, a tractor pull, chuckwagon races, drama society performances, a costume contest and a bunch of other assorted events.
It all then caps off with the demolition derby on Sunday, which always draws a huge crowd.
Although not a lot changes from the fair from one year to the next, there are a few new attractions. The Hearts of the West show - a fairly high-profile family show from the Strathmore area - will be performing trick roping and trick riding during the intermission of the rodeo.
And in keeping with the agricultural theme of this year's fair, the Country Roads Holstein Club will be running tours out to a local dairy farm from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. That has apparently drawn a lot of interest.
And while you're taking in all that, let's appreciate the hard work of the volunteers who help put on this event. Remember, when they're working the front gate or helping with the rodeo or some other aspect of the fair, they don't get to enjoy the fun parts.
It's takes a lot of work just to get the fair off the ground, and it requires the contributions of dozens more volunteers to actually pull it off.
But most importantly of all, enjoy the fair weekend! We hope to see you there!
