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WATCH: Spring on the farm comes to Red Deer

Sunnybrook Farm Museum kicks off a summer of education and fun

Baby animals were on full display as Sunnybrook Farm Museum held its annual Spring on the Farm Saturday.

Ian Warwick, Sunnybrook Farm Museum executive director, said it was a big fundraiser for the educational programs offered by the museum.

“We do these events to raise funds for our children’s programs throughout the summer,” said Warwick.

Throughout the day Saturday, people could meet baby animals, watch an antique tractor pull, join the cookie walk, feast on a special country breakfast, get their face painted and visit the garage sale.

Saturday was also the first day the new baby animals were out for people to see. There are four lambs, two weaner pigs, calves, turkeys, chickens, horse and donkey.

“We’re trying to be representative of what a small family farm had at the turn of the century,” said Warwick. “It’s a really neat experience for kids in the city to come out experience the farm animals and see what the pioneer life was like.”

Warwick said the museum runs one of the largest school programs in Central Alberta with about 3,000 children coming to the site from across the region.

“They learn how to wash clothes on the old washboard, they cook bannock on the wood stove, they make butter from cream,” said Warwick. “It’s an experience of what life was like at the turn of (last) century. There was a lot of work put into just daily living and they get to experience that a little bit.”

The 10-acres Sunnybrook Farm Museum sits on was donated by Norman Bower in 1988 to serve as a historical site recognizing farming. Now in the midst of Red Deer, the Bowers farmed the land up until the 1970s.

“Our stewardship of that as a society is to make sure it’s maintained and that we tell the story of farming and rural life in Alberta,” said Warwick.



mcrawford@reddeeradvocate.com

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Ryland Johnson rides a tractor at Sunnybrook Farm Museum on Saturday. The museum hosted its annual Spring on the Farm event. (Photo by MURRAY CRAWFORD/Advocate staff)
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A turkey is one of the many animals at Sunnybrook Farm Museum. he museum hosted its annual Spring on the Farm event on Saturday. (Photo by MURRAY CRAWFORD/Advocate staff)