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It was a busy day in Leader, as the town came out for the Fall Market.
The Fall Market featured vendors at the Sandhills Credit Union Marketplace, as well as a pie-baking contest. Folks were also able to enjoy wagon rides and car shows, all the while mixing and mingling with friends and neighbours.
Organizing everything on behalf of the Leader and District Chamber of Commerce was Economic Development Officer, Lee Elsasser. She was busy, both organizing and accepting pie-baking contest entrees, signing up everyone who came for the car show, redirecting people looking for specific vendors, and helping get everyone over to the wagon rides.
"Our market is a fall and Halloween theme," said Elsasser. "We have the baking and Halloween decorations, there's a mini workshop by a local artist, Ryan Cox. He does little mini workshops and regular workshops at his store, and he's going to school in Vancouver right now."
One of the biggest draws for the day was the pie-baking contest. It saw locals come together to show off their baking skills, with some going the extra mile to decorate their confections with special themed crusts.
Each pie was tasted by the three judges, and then each was carved up and served to folks hungry for some apple pie. Every piece was purchased via donation to the local food bank, with folks paying upwards of $20 for some delicious pie for a great cause.
"Leader and District Chamber of Commerce sponsored the pie baking contest," said Elsasser. "The money [awarded] is going to be "Leader Dollars" that can be spent in Leader just like regular dollars."
The winner of the pie baking contest was Colleen Siewert, who admitted that this was actually an unexpected win for her, as she does not normally make apple pie.
Another big crowd attractor was the massive, 838.5 lbs pumpkin on display. Grown by John Alan, the competition-grade gourd was so huge it had to be loaded into his pickup truck with a forklift.
Folks were able to ask Alan about his method of growing, what it took to grow this particular pumpkin and other gardening questions.
Plenty of folks grabbed a photo with the behemoth pumpkin, the likes of which are rarely seen in most home gardens.
The car show was a rather late addition to the plans, according to Elsasser.
"Thank you to everybody that has come to the event," Elsasser said. "If they didn't, we wouldn't have anything."
Still, even with limited notice, the die-hard motorheads of Leader and area came to town with their chrome sparkling and the motors running. Some of the entries were close to 100 years newer than the older hardware in the show. A few were rocking their original paint, while others had shiny new red coats to show off to the crowd.
This was the first market of its kind for Leader. While the town has enjoyed similar venues in the summer and spring, the Fall Market was a chance for Elsasser to experiment with alternate times and layouts.
"I wasn't sure if this would bring more people or less," said Elsasser. "This also helps businesspeople that normally didn't get to come. They can come later in the evening, which a lot of times our regular markets are during the day. I'm hoping for maybe 80 to 100 people."
Given that close to 200 people made it out for the Tuesday afternoon format, it's safe to say that she can call her plans a success. Next year, people interested in participating in the vendors market, the car show, or the pie baking contest, can contact the Leader and District Chamber of Commerce to let Elsasser know.