Thousands of people participated in family-friendly activities at the Central Alberta Family Expo.
The 11th edition of the event took place at CrossRoads Church in Red Deer County on Saturday.
“Our event is all about families, fun activities and getting families together with local vendors and nonprofit groups who just want to have some fun too,” said Pat Moore, co-owner and producer of the expo.
“People look for an event where they can get out with their family, do things, not feel threatened and have lots of fun with things like power-wheel cars.”
Between 2,000 and 3,000 people were expected to attend this year’s event, which featured multiple vendors, games, activities and more.
The expo wasn’t held for a couple of years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event did return last year, but the event was held in May instead of March, when it is typically held.
“The end of March is a great time to do this because winter is almost over and it’s a jump back into the spring,” said Moore.
“People are ready to get back into doing things in March. By the time May rolls around, they’re in their gardens or getting all kinds of kids’ activities.”
Moore and her daughter Nancy started the Central Alberta Family Expo more than a decade ago.
“A whole bunch of people thought there should be a family expo, so we built it and created a fun time,” she said.
“It used to be two days, we’re just doing one day right now. But who knows, it may get back to its two-day schedule again.”
Moore said it’s special to produce this event alongside her daughter.
“And there are lots of grandkids who pitch in as well. I’m not just a mom, I’m a grandma too. You see lots of grandparents come with their families. It’s a fun time,” she said.
“We really appreciate our community, the volunteers, the people who help support this event and help us get through the day.”
This year’s highlighted nonprofit organization at the Central Alberta Family Expo was the Central Alberta Humane Society.
sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter