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Midway, Light Horse Show a success; Battlefords Agricultural Society planning more events

Aug 24, 2021 | 5:42 PM

The Midway at the Battlefords Agricultural Society fairgrounds wrapped up a success this year.

The agricultural society’s general manager, Jocelyn Ritchie, says about 4,000 Ride Bracelets were sold in pre-sales, which is about average compared to most years.

“I feel for what we portrayed to people, we were just having a more carnival-like atmosphere. And we did a very good job with it,” she said.

The rides, games, and fair food were provided by Wild Rose Shows for the event which ran Aug. 19 to 21.

Since there were no fees at the gates this year, it was difficult to determine how many people attended.

In normal years, the ag society would hold its annual Northwest Territorial Days Exhibition. The event was cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19 regulations. While the province lifted restrictions in July 2021, there was not enough time to plan for a full exhibition this year.

However, Ritchie was pleased with how everything turned out, and thanked all the sponsors for their support.

The Northwest Territorial Days Parade on Aug. 16 fared well.

“The parade was very well attended, and we’re very happy,” she said. “Even though we had a third of what we usually have for entries. The ones we had, some of them put a tremendous effort into making very nice entries for us.”

Madison Flath from Hafford, Sask., shown with her horse Nitro at the Light Horse Show on Aug. 21 in North Battleford. (Angela Brown/battlefordsNOW Staff)

The Light Horse Show on Aug. 21 saw a good turnout.

“We had quite a few horses, and the show went very well,” Ritchie said. “Everyone was pleased to be able to compete, because it has been a couple of years for a lot of these people.”

Coming up

The local agricultural society is planning several events ahead starting this Fall.

“We’re going full scale. Hopefully, everything will stay open and we can just keep going with our events,” Ritchie said.

On Sept. 11, organizers are planning a Demo Derby on the exhibition grounds.

“It will be a lot of fun, and exciting to watch,” Ritchie said.

The event will also include barrel racing and mini cars.

Then, on Sept. 18, the society will host a Community Garage Sale in the Agriplex. People are asked to call to book their table in advance.

Oktoberfest is planned for Oct. 2, with German cuisine, entertainment and interactive games for people to enjoy. Tickets will be available soon.

“We have had it in partnership with Rotary for a few years now,” Ritchie said. “It’s a really enjoyable evening, a lot of fun. I invite everyone to come out for that as well.”

Then, leading into the holiday season on Nov. 6, and 7, the Mistletoe Craft and Gift Sale is planned.

“It’s our annual Christmas crafts show,” Ritchie said, “We have crafters, pottery, Christmas items. We will have a lot of unique gifts for people to choose from.”

Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

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