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Vegreville's Deerland Country Fair Provides Loads of Entertainment
Parade Kicks-off Deerland Country Fair in Vegreville
The Deerland Country Fair officially got underway on Aug. 9 with the parade. There was a wide variety of entries photographed by Jason Gillis, a local shutterbug who captured the fun-filled spirit of the event. (Jason Gillis Photography/Submitted Photos)
Vegreville Country Fair Chariot and Chuckwagon Races Thrill Fans
Michelle Pinon - News Advertiser
The Alberta Professional Chuckwagon & Chariot Association, (APCCA) made it return to Vegreville during the Country Fair.
APCCA President Dwayne Dubuc commented that, “It is always fun to be back in town for the Vegreville Fair. The entire week feels like a whirlwind of excitement and atmosphere and it is a great chance to get to see everyone back home again after being on the road for so many days in the summer. I always feel a little more pressure to do well here because we have such appreciative and knowledgeable fans.
More often than not the horses feel that excitement and rise to the occasion so we often have nice results here in Vegreville. This year however, we have been struggling a bit because we are down some horsepower compared to other years.
The chariot had a very respectable week ending up 2nd overall but the frustration of not finding the right combination of wagon horses continued throughout the Vegreville Fair; I certainly would have liked to have had better results on that end of things. In the end all of the horses competed as hard as they could and they all stayed healthy and sound, ultimately that is the most important thing.
Running on my home track has a little added pressure, I always want to do well here because I feel like I’m letting the fans down a bit if I don’t live up to expectations. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always work out the way I want it to and this year is another example of that. It is a long summer of racing and there are a number of ups and downs throughout the year and from year to year. The only thing I can do after less than hoped for results is to keep on improving and rebuild stronger and faster for the future.”
With a bit of inclement weather at the beginning of the Fair, it shortened the number of heats overall, but they did manage to get in nine heats of chariots and eight heats of wagons along with the kids’ mini wagons.
Dubuc pointed out that, “Our draw committee chooses which outfits will be hooked together for each race and they do an amazing job of matching up those outfits. When all four wagons/chariots turn the barrels together or cross the finish line together it is a natural response for the crowd the get excited and show that excitement enthusiastically. Here in Vegreville that excitement is heightened because of the knowledge of the fans and, in many cases, they personally know so many drivers or, because of the great level of business support, they personally know the sponsors.
I was very happy with the attendance at the races this year but personally I would still love to see that large grandstand filled from corner to corner. Considering that I could hear the crowd from back in Chuckwagon camp I would imagine that when it would be full corner to corner they would raise the roof right off that grandstand.
Even though Dubuc would have liked to turn in a better performance in the chuckwagons, but speaking from the APCCA perspective, “I would say that the performances of our younger/newer drivers, and some of them achieving their personal bests would certainly be a highlight though.”
The APCCA is heading into the home stretch of its touring dates with Westlock, Sundre, Patricia and Millarville remaining on the schedule. Dubuc currently sits in sixth place in the standings in both the chariots and chuckwagons. Fellow competitor, Shane Cartier is hot on his heels in the chuckwagons, currently sitting in seventh place.
Timeless Delights at Deerland Vegreville 120th Country Fair
Rosanne Fortier - News Correspondent
Children look forward to the fair all year long while adults wait in quiet anticipation. Yes, fairs have something for everyone.
Deerland Vegreville 120th Country Fair did it again by offering a jam packed mix of traditional entertainment and some novelty attractions on August 9 to 13 at Vegreville Agricultural Society (VAS) Grounds.
The fair emerged with the annual parade which showcased country fashioned entries where the route started by Vegreville Composite High School and ended by VAS Grounds.
After this, the grounds opened where the sights and sounds of the midway and game booths enticed people to be adventurous and try one of the rides or their skills at a game of chance.
As well, people were spotted looking at all the local talents’ exhibits at the Bench Show at the Exhibit Hall where there were horticulture, baking, sewing, handicrafts, hobby crafts, visual arts, canning, scrapbooking, creative writing, table settings, photography and other categories of handcrafted work on display.
Chair for Exhibit Hall Viola Braun-Fox mentioned, “There were approximately 110 exhibitors this year for the Exhibit Hall Bench Show with about 1600 entries. Last year, there were just under 100 exhibitors with just over 1,000 entries.”
At Vegreville Multiplex Centre, people looking for a unique shopping experience were found at the indoor Marketplace which had many one of the kind products and chances to obtain various services.
Other popular attractions included the Kids Fun Zone, Petting Zoo, and Minute-To-Win-It at the Bandshell, Kids Mini Tractor Pull, Strong Person Competitions, and pop and country music performances by Abygale Durie on August 9 and fiddle music performances by Callina Artymko on August 13 at the Grandstand. As well, there were the Beer Gardens.
On August 10, 11 and 12 every morning of the fair rode in with Open Horse Show which continued on throughout the day.
There were also performances by Flyin’ Bob who did circus tricks, juggling and rode a unicycle.
To give children something interesting to play with Justin Tiedemann from Tofield made balloon animals on the fairgrounds for the kids.
No one can forget the popular traditional attraction of the APCCA Chariot and Chuckwagon races with their heart stopping action. During intermission, there were also Mini Chuckwagon Races.
To add sparkle to the fair on August 12 at 11 pm a kaleidoscope of vivid colours at the Grandstand exploded during the display of fireworks.
August 13 treated people to two new attractions. The first one was the Stock Dog Demo where Peter LaRue demonstrated how to move a small flock of sheep effectively through a set up area in the outdoor arena with his border collie Willow.
Courtnei Davies coordinated the Chicken Races which she mentioned had eight people participate with their 17 chickens and they had a huge turn-out of 60 spectators.
Also, there was the Antique Tractor Pulls with participants trying their skills and strength with machinery from 1947-2015.
