Sunny days interrupted with a few well-timed rain showers are setting a welcome tone for opening day at most summer attractions in Central Alberta.
Markerville Creamery, Dickson Store Museum and the Ellis Bird Farm are among the sites where staff have pulled back the dust covers in preparation for a new season, beginning on or before Victoria Day on Monday, May 24.
With the exception of Discovery Canyon, located at the River Bend Golf and Recreation Area, most of the sites that closed last fall will be officially reopened by Saturday, May 22, says Susan Steen-Turkington, senior counsellor with Tourism Red Deer.
Discovery Canyon may open in June if the weather is nice enough, but does not normally start until July, after school breaks for the summer, she says.
Markerville Creamery is getting an early start, kicking its 2010 season into gear with a pancake breakfast set for 9 a.m. on May 15.
The front gate at Ellis Bird Farm, however, will stay locked until 11 a.m. on Victoria Day.
With summer sites getting back into swing, farmers’ markets are also coming back online, starting this week. Caroline and Sylvan Lake will be among the first to get started. Among the first out of the gate is the Innisfail Farmers Market, opening this Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and running those same hours until Sept. 16, its last day of the season.
Caroline will also start its Friday schedule this week, from noon to 3 p.m. and Sylvan Lake starts its new season on May 14, from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
For dates, times and locations of all Central Alberta farmers’ markets, visit www.albertamarkets.com or call 1-800-403-9724. Visit www.tourismreddeer.com or call 403-346-0180 for details.