Walk back in time at Pioneer Days

Get ready to take a trip back in time. Sunnybrook Farm Museum in Red Deer (4701 30th St.) will be hosting the 22nd annual Pioneer Days Festival Aug. 19-20 where there will be entertainment for the whole family. There will be a pancake breakfast, a silent auction, a tractor parade, an antique toy display, a bouncy castle, live animal exhibitions and more through the weekend at the museum. “It’s so exciting to have the festival,” said Sunnybrook Farm Museum executive director Ian Warwick. “This place is really a jewel in Red Deer. Lots of people drive by and never come in and there is a remarkably peaceful park setting here.” People from all over Alberta will make their way to Red Deer that weekend to compete in one of the most popular events at the festival, the tractor pull. “It’s a pretty exciting thing seeing these old tractors and the history around them,” Warwick said. Between 60 and 80 competitors from around the province will bring pre-1960s tractors to the museum for the festival and will compete to see who can drag a weighted sled the furthest and quickest along a track. Pioneer Days is a staple in the community, Warwick said, with about 3,000 people coming every year. People like to come out to see what’s new at the museum, he added. “It’s exciting to have people come out to see the changes we’ve made … There’s constant revision, changes and development here for people to see,” he said. Though it won’t be complete by Pioneer Days, a small pioneer school is currently under construction on the south end of the museum. Construction is expected to be completed by November. Assuming the weather is nice, Warwick said he expects about 3,000 or so people to come to this year’s festival as well. “It’s a really great day to come up and see a piece of Red Deer’s history,” he said. Admission is $15 per family and $5 for an individual - a price that hasn’t changed in 10 years. More details can be found at www.sunnybrookfarmmuseum.ca. sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com