Central Alberta’s biggest summer celebration is coming in less than two weeks.
After a two-year hiatus, the Westerner Days Fair and Exposition returns to Red Deer’s Westerner Park July 20-24.
All of the planning is done and soon the setup work will begin, Westerner Park CEO Mike Olesen said.
“Now it’s about execution, which is super exciting,” Olesen said on Friday.
“I’ve been at Westerner Park for about three years now and I haven’t officially been a part of one, so personally I’m excited. I’m also excited for our team and community to get this mainstay of our summer going again.”
People will be able to see the setup work begin on the midway rides over the weekend, but teams will start prep work for other elements of Westerner Days even sooner.
“For example Cirque d Soleil happening this weekend, as soon as that’s done, we’re going to turn the Peavey Mart Centrium over and get it ready for concerts,” he said.
“The excitement will start to build as people drive by and start to realize Westerner Days is here.”
Olesen said the hope is to get about 100,000 guests to come out to the four-day event, which features midway rides, live entertainment, a grub hub, a street market and more.
“It’s an interesting time coming out of the pandemic,” he said.
“I think the overall industry is anticipating a pent-up demand. We’re hopeful that’s the case. Only time will tell.”
The return of Westerner Days is “huge” for Westerner Park as an organization, Olesen said.
“The fair is who we are,” Olesen said.
“It’s right at our core and our marquee event that we look forward to delivering to the community every year. I think it became evident when we weren’t able to do it just how important it is to us.”
This year’s Westerner Days will have new features, including an international pavilion.
“That’ll feature a lot of our local arts and culture. That’s highlighted by the powwow group joining us on an every day basis. That’ll be an exciting addition,” Olesen said.
For more information, visit www.westernerdays.ca.
sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter