A pair of events gave Red Deer families plenty to do this weekend.
The Central Alberta Family Expo at Crossroads Church and Spring on the Farm at Sunnybrook Farm Museum were both held Saturday.
Ian Warwick, Sunnybrook Farm Museum executive director, said this was one of the best Spring on the Farm events ever.
“It’s a really cool event to bring families to,” Warwick said, adding there were about 2,000 people who came to the event.
“I think Red Deerians were looking to get out and do things after two years of the pandemic. Outdoor events are maybe a little safer than indoor ones still. We’re really pleased with the turnout.”
While the museum has been open since May 2, Warwick said Spring on the Farm is a good way to kick off the season, which runs from May to August.
“We usually hold a big event at the end of May once all of the animals are here and we’ve had the schools visit and the summer staff has started just to welcome Red Deerians back to the farm for the summer,” he said.
“It’s been pretty steady all day. Our concession sales are up from any year previously, so it’s been really good. The challenge this year is that we’re trying to do all of these construction projects – we’re trying to finish the church, we’ve got new pathways going in to help with wheelchair accessibility and putting new barrier-free access to all of the old buildings.
“That’s ongoing over the summer. What we typically do is fundraise for three years and then we build a whole bunch all at once. Then we fundraised for another three years. We’re in the building year.
Pat Moore, one of the partners and producers of the Central Alberta Family Expo, said she was excited to bring the event back to Red Deer after being shelved for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re in a different location than usual and we’re doing just one day for now,” noted Moore, who produces the expo with her daughter Nancy Paish.
The expo reached its 10th anniversary in 2020, but due to those events being cancelled, 2022 became the 10-year celebration.
“We thought this would be a good way to have our 10-year celebration and give everybody an opportunity to get out and get together with their families again,” Moore said.
For the first time, the expo features indoor and outdoor activities through its 40-plus vendors. Moore said in past years the expo has welcomed up to 6,000 attendees. The goal this year was to welcome around 3,500.
“We try to encourage all of our vendors to do an activity that is child- and family-friendly,” said Moore.
”There’s an unlimited amount of things everyone can do.”
sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com
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