A true blast to the past is returning this year after a two year hiatus due to the pandemic.
The Bearspaw Old Tyme Fair makes it's return transporting attendees back to a simpler time. The fair doesn't have your typical fair attractions but instead relies on people to make it what it is, offering competitions in Art, hobbies, photography and many others. For children's entertainment their will be a petting zoo, pony rides, balloon twisters, food and more.
Educating people on the many different kinds of agriculture is the heart of the fair says event organizer Tammy Cruickshank.
"We're really trying to press our original mandate as written in the charter, which was to promote the importance of agriculture in the national life, and we've now taken that to mean connecting rural and urban. So, we're now saying this is going to be an agricultural fair. We're going to educate people, and we're going to draw in the urban people so they can start to understand community gardens and trees and all the other things that we do that are relevant to their urban life."
Cruickshank says that educating younger generations is of a particular importance.
"We're trying to bring real, tangible experiences of education to the younger generations... So, they can enter for free or they can just come. And view the exhibits once the judging is over on Friday, then they can come to a public free event Saturday and Sunday and see all of these things. So, that's how we set this up is that the entries are one part of the fair, and then they get judged. That's the Friday and then the open to the public so they can come and get educated and see all these crafts and baking and you know arborists and beekeeping and so on, is the open viewing for the public on Saturday and Sunday."
This years theme is 'Bees and Trees', something that is very topical says Cruickshank.
"Bees right now are very topical with them being in the press all the time about their demise, but also, there's lots of people making honey now growing, having their own little beekeeper huts in their backyard, and so, it plays to that we have a category for honeys, a liquid honey, a creamed honey and comb honey has been added this year. The trees is all about climate change and how we can plant trees and do things with trees and shrubs."
Volunteers are needed for the fair, if you are interested check out their website.
The event will be open, free to the public August 27-28 at the Cochrane Lions Event Centre.