Rosenort Summer Festival is always a fixture in the community festival circuit, but this year, the event from August 16th-18th occurs against the backdrop of an even larger celebration — Rosenort’s 150th anniversary.
Madisson Sabourin is on the committee of the Rosenort Summer Festival, and she has been for eight years now.
“I love Rosenort,” she says. “I grew up there. I love the community.”
Rosenort’s festivities on the weekend will kick off with a special Rosenort 150 social at the arena at Westfield Community Park on Friday evening. Attendees can look forward to a live DJ, silent auction prizes, life-sized games, drinks, a food truck on site, and plenty of dancing.
“[We’re] trying to start it off [with] more of a celebration, and [we want to reach] a different demographic,” says Sabourin. “We have lots of kids’ events for Saturday, but we need something [so that] the moms and dads can have fun [too].”
After the celebration opens on Friday, there will be a full schedule of nostalgic events on Saturday as a special 150th anniversary edition of the Summer Festival.
“This year we're trying to kind of copy an old school festival,” says Sabourin. “We brought back old events [and] looked back at old festivals.”
Saturday will begin with a classic free pancake breakfast. Afterwards, the committee has re-established the kickoff parade along Main Street. Sabourin says that this parade is always a favourite.
“We're also doing some fun things like . . . a show and shine involving the Scratching River Tractor Club. They're going to bring out some antique tractors.”
Another unique event this year that tends to delight the crowd is the ping pong ball drop. According to Sabourin, the structure of the drop is simple, but thrilling.
“A plane flies overhead, drops some ping pong balls, and kids go wild to get prizes,” she says.
The schedule also includes a basketball tournament, petting zoo, and a reptile presentation. In the spirit of celebrating 150 years of Rosenort, there will also be an informative presentation about the area’s history.
“We have a local volunteer [named] Lorilee Scharfenberg [who has] been researching the history of Rosenort, and how it was founded. She's been gathering up old pictures and she put together a visual story,” says Sabourin. “[Scharfenberg also] has commentary to go with it that explains how Rosenort and the twin town Riverside came to be.”
Sabourin adds that since Scharfenberg put so much work into the presentation, it’s sure to be a captivating glimpse into the past. The presentation will run twice on Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Saturday’s entertainment also features a performance by Fubuki Daiko Drumming Group before the headlining Legacy Band takes the stage. The band consists of a family that has close ties to Rosenort.
“It just kind of reflects way back when in . . . Rosenort festival times, they always had a local band celebrate on the Saturday evening,” says Sabourin.
There will also be free popcorn to enjoy during the headlining performance.
Saturday will wrap up with a fireworks display, which Sabourin is especially fond of.
“Those big, exciting fireworks at the end that everyone likes [are my favourite],” she says. “We're really excited for the big show [that will be] put on for the fireworks at the end.”
Sunday of the festival will be more relaxed. The day begins with free breakfast muffins from Perk Coffee Cart, a community church service, and a free community farmer sausage lunch. In the afternoon, there will be a garden tour during which community members can leisurely view local gardens that have been designed with the utmost care, and a slo-pitch tournament.
Sabourin says that throughout the weekend, funds will be raised for Living Fountain Bible Camp.
“It's a camp that kids from the community and surrounding communities go to run by local churches,” she says. “We always just pick something where our money can go back into the community.”
For a tidy summary of all the events slated to celebrate Rosenort and its 150th year, click here for the Summer Festival’s schedule.
~With files from Ty Hildebrand~