While the community of Beiseker doesn’t celebrate its centennial for a couple more years, the village is preparing for the 100th celebration of the Beiseker Lions Country Fair June 9.
According to Fair Chairman and Beiseker Lions Club member Ivan Cook, “originally, it was just farmers getting together.”
Since its initial incarnation as Sports Day, the event has grown and expanded to become one of the biggest single-day events the Lions Club puts on in the area, he said. It was still a big deal, then.
“It’s easier to (travel) now than it was for the last 70 years,” Cook said. “People didn’t travel, and to have an event, locally, in a lot of these small towns, that was the only entertainment they had.”
This year, the fair packs a host of activities into a single day, starting at 7 a.m. with a $5 breakfast at Beiseker’s Community Hall. The proceeds will be donated to the STARS Air Ambulance.
Then, at 10:00 a.m. on Main Street, the fair’s Grande Parade will celebrate 100 years. Kids will have the opportunity to decorate their bicycles and ride through the parade beforehand.
Beiseker’s Show and Shine will roll through at 11:00 a.m. to display a variety of classic cars.
“As long as the day is nice, we’ll get lots of vintage cars and things like that coming,” Cook said.
He added he’s looking forward to seeing all the happy, smiling kids at the parade. This year, the Lions Club added water balls to the selection of other free kid’s activities.
The fair will also offer the 4-H Steer and Heifer Show, family tug of war, beer gardens, a tailgate market, a barbecue supper and a dance.
Cook said many small-town events like this are disappearing because, as it’s become easier for younger generations to drive to Calgary or Airdrie for fun, the weight of organizing and running community events is left to tired volunteers. The Country Fair, he said, is an exception.
“To keep something like this going for so long – it’s quite an achievement for the people volunteering over the years,” Cook said.
More information about the fair can be found on the Beiseker Lions Club website, e-clubhouse.org/sites/beiseker
