This year’s Hanover Ag Fair is set to be the best one yet! The committee has been hard at work for months now, putting together an event that’s been drawing fans of all ages for years, with some traveling from far and wide to take in bull riding, the mud bog, arm wrestling, Manitoba's Strongest Man competitions, heritage attractions, art, and music.
The Mainstage headliner for 2023 is Alberta’s own Drew Gregory. A full-time farm boy and musical artist, Gregory is the 2015, 2019, and 2022 Horizon Male Artist of the Year, as well as the recipient of Country Music Alberta’s Horizon Album of the Year Award for his album I Was There in 2016.
“He puts on a great show! We are very excited,” says Sponsorship and Marketing Coordinator Brenda Levesque. “
Joining Drew Gregory are some fine Manitoban artists- Jason Kirkness and Kendra Kay, ensuring a very strong Canadian energy at this year’s festival.
Levesque adds that these will not be the only musical performances for the weekend.
“We have live music, as well as acoustic performances by Matt Zimmerman and Jackson Klippenstein underneath our tent,” she says. “And then on bull riding nights, we have the Party In The Dirt with Catie St. Germain and The Ricky Smits, playing each on their respective nights.”
Aside from the music, Levesque says that the committee has really put a lot of effort into the heritage attractions.
“Putting the culture back in agriculture!” Levesque elaborates. “We have antique farm equipment. We have a presentation each day about the equipment, but the display will be out all day. We have what’s called Heritage Tours, where you can go on a horse-drawn wagon ride through the town of Grunthal and learn about the history of the past 140 years.” Levesque adds, “You’ll learn little tidbits of each of the live-in locations in town, what it used to be like, who settled here, where, and why. It’s very interesting and very cool to check out.”
Over the last couple of years, many people have found themselves with more time on their hands, and a good portion chose to focus their energies artistically. Levesque encourages these people to sign up to showcase what they’ve been working on.
“We’ll have a visual art gallery, and people can come check out local art,” Levesque clarifies. “We really invite people to come out and see what talent we have in Manitoba. We’ll also have a chalkboard wall for the little artists!”
Children’s attractions include the Family Fun Zone led by local 4H teams, bubble soccer, laser tag, pony rides, a petting zoo, face painting, and much more. It really is an event for the whole family
The Hanover Ag Fair happens August 17th to 20th in Grunthal, MB. For the full events schedule, ticket sales, how you can get your artwork out on display, and information on volunteer opportunities, visit www.hanoverag.com.