Organizers of last year’s Brunch at the Beach are at it again, and they’re aiming even higher with future events.

Following their inaugural run last year, rural businesses from Lacombe County have set up another beach event to be held at Gull Lake Centre on Saturday, Aug. 22.

Last year, chef Tim Wood from the Eco Café at Pigeon Lake cooked up a gourmet brunch for 200, featuring locally grown meats, fruits, vegetables and dairy products.

Diners will be treated to live music by the Lacombe-based Flatiron Jazz Band and there will be a small farmers’ and artisans’ market outside.

Similar to Country Drive, a self-guided tour of rural businesses, Brunch at the Beach is an effort by members of A Taste of Country to bring more people out to their farms and businesses, said organizer Lynn Henkel, a partner with her husband Brian in Summerland Leisure Park at Gull Lake.

There are people in Lacombe and even in Gull Lake who don’t know about the farms and rural businesses in the surrounding countryside, says Henkel.

With funding and expertise from Travel Alberta and sponsorship from a number of local businesses, A Taste of Country’s 13 members are planning to add more events in the near future.

Tickets to the brunch are $25 each, and are available from Everything Nice Antiques, Ellis Bird Farm, Simply Country, Summerland Leisure Park, Sunny 94, the Flatiron Building and at farmers’ markets in Bentley, Lacombe and Red Deer.