OkotoksOnline/Harrison O'Nyons
The 118th Priddis & Millarville Fair is coming up this August, bringing a weekend of competition, creativity and community to the Foothills.
The long-running event returns August 16 and 17 at the Millarville Racing and Agricultural Society grounds, with festivities also kicking off early on August 15 with Gymkhana events.
Yvonne Sterrenburg, chairperson of the fair's volunteer organizing committee, said preparations are already well underway, with registrations having opened on June 1 for those who want to get in early.
"It closed on August the 4th, but people often like to do their registrations earlier so that they can plan their lives. We have all kinds of different competitions."
The event will feature numerous bench competitions to be held at the arena at the Millarville Racing and Ag Society Grounds.
"Those are things like arts and handicrafts, home cooking and baking, fibre arts, woodworking, flowers and veg, field crops, lick salt block. If you come down on event days, you're going to see thousands of entries that people have worked hard to put into competition," said Sterrenburg. "We also have a multitude of livestock competitions. Dairy goats have returned this year, we have the rabbits, sheep, beef cattle, poultry; chickens and pigeons. They're actually in the Quonset. The other competitive displays, competitions take place by the barns."
The fair's equine events include English Light Horse classes on Saturday, Western events on Sunday, and Gymkhana, which will run on Friday afternoon to allow for more space and participation.
Those wishing to register for a class must do so ahead of time, before the August 4 cutoff.
While competitions form the heart of the fair, organizers aim to offer an experience for everyone, from locals to international visitors. Attendance last year hit around 7,000 across both days.
"We try and make it as interactive as possible," said Sterrenburg. "Even when we're in the arena looking at exhibits, we're trying to have make-and-takes so that people can have some creative experiences themselves while they're enjoying the fair."
Visitors can look forward to food trucks, a market, and crowd-favourite events like tractor pulls, pie and watermelon eating contests, hay bale tossing, and a farm chair relay. While some events require pre-registration, many are open for same-day sign-up.
Information on competitions, classes, events, and more can be found in this year's fair book, which was released on June 1.
A digital version of the book is available on the Millarville Racetrack website, and physical copies are available at some locations, in limited numbers.
"We have hard copies of our books at the Sheep River Library, Millarville Library, Longview Library, the general stores in Priddis and Millarville, the High River Town Office, and also the county office in High River, and the Okotoks Rec Center, but this is while supplies last," said Sterrenburg.
The event is also part of Alberta Open Farm Days, a province-wide initiative that sees producers open their doors to the public for a backstage look at where their food comes from.
For more information, visit www.millarvilleracetrack.com or email fair@millarvilleracetrack.com