Getting ready for Blue Heron Fair Days

BARRHEAD- The show must and will go on.

On the weekend of Aug 14 and 15, Blue Heron Fair Days, after taking a year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be back with a slightly modified event from previous years.

Barrhead Agricultural Society president Jackie Miller said when the board decided they would proceed to host the fair following their June 27 meeting, they expected it to be a vastly scaled-down version.

However, she said everything regular fairgoers have come to expect from  Blue Heron Fair Days is a "go," with two notable exceptions.

Unfortunately, the two exceptions are two of the fair's more popular attractions, the first being the demolition derby, a Friday night staple and the Saturday morning parade and breakfast.

Admission to the fair per day is $10 for adults, children $5 and kids five and under are free.

"Everything else is a go. I know when we first decided that we would host the fair, we said thought we would be fortunate to host a scaled-down version, but we have worked hard to include as much entertainment as possible," Miller said.

Of course, she said the main feature of the fair days is the Wildrose Rodeo Association (WRA) sanctioned rodeo, featuring all the traditional events. The rodeo starts Saturday at 5 p.m., while Sunday's performance begins at 1 p.m. As part of both performances, during the intermission, there will be a host of children's rodeo events, such as sheep riding, a boot race and a calf scramble.

A "slack" or overflow competition will also take place on Sunday starting at 8 a.m.

In addition to the fair, there will also be a horse show and a gymkhana. The horse show starts at 9 a.m. on Saturday, while the gymkhana is on Sunday at 10 a.m. Both events are in the Ag Barn.

Miller noted the committee did its best to ensure that children are not left out. Starting at noon on both days children and youth can participate in several activities. The bouncy castle village returns and the Balloon Fairies will be making their rounds on Saturday, making balloon animals, face painting and creating children's tattoos. On Saturday, the Hula Hoop Circus will be putting on two thirty-minute stage shows starting at 3:30 and 5:30 p.m. This is on top of an hour-long roving hula hoop workshop.

On Sunday, the Joe Show will be the featured entertainment, putting on a magic/ventriloquist farm safety themed show in the Ag Barn's meeting room at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m.

"We saw him at one of our [Alberta Association of Agricultural Societies] conventions and we thought he would be a good fit for us," she said.

The Joe Show, on Sunday from noon to 4 p.m., will also be hosting a foam soap bubble party at the outdoor ice rink beside the Agrena. Children are encouraged to wear flip-flops, goggles and a towel.

Miller added running in conjunction with the fair is a slow-pitch tournament with the first game starting at 8 a.m. on Saturday at the Barrhead Sportgrounds.

And of course, she said, for people old enough to partake in an adult beverage, a beer garden will be on-site, as well as a concession and a mini-doughnut vendor.

"We are really proud of what we have been able to accomplish in such a short time. It was a lot of work, but it will be worth it when the people walk through the gates," Miller said.

Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com