4 minute read
A Busy Year for Vegreville Agricultural Society
A Busy Year for Vegreville Agricultural Society
Rosanne Fortier - News Correspondent
Vegreville Agricultural Society, provides diverse events and facilities for community enrichment. On December 11, this society presented its Annual General Meeting at Vegreville Multi-Plex Centre.
Interim President Tanya Hawkins chaired the meeting. She stated that this year has been quite a journey. “I will never cease to be amazed by this board of directors and its volunteers, their contributions, unique talents and specialties, and their support of each other in overcoming adversity.”
Hawkins became Interim President following the tragic and sudden passing of their President Alan Baxandall only weeks prior to the Deerland Country Fair.
As the fair approached, they quickly realized that they did not realize the full scope of Alan’s volunteer activities on the grounds for fair preparation. Everyone pulled together and took on additional responsibilities and tasks to ensure all aspects of fair setup and execution were successful. They were rewarded with another record-breaking year with almost 21,000 in attendance.
The Corn Maze committee experienced similar challenges. Again, many people stepped up to help out and ensure the execution and success of the Corn Maze.
“ATCO and the Town of Vegreville approached us on placement of a low-flow natural gas line through our property. It was decided that the line should run along the north fence line of the parking lot. The agreement was signed with ATCO this fall. Thank you to the directors who spent the time to work with and identify the best outcome for all parties involved. Another meeting with the Town of Vegreville, along with other stakeholders, was held to discuss the utilization of the Multiplex. The town's request was for our organization to utilize the facility more.”
Office Manager Rachel Farr’s reported that their office had a busy year. Their board room is utilized almost daily and they have had to turn people away due to lack of open space or room size for larger groups. Their facilities are getting known provincially and this year they rented out their grounds to the Medieval Festival. Other new inquiries were the Professional Chuckwagon Association, Indian Relay Races and the National Dog Agility Championships.
Sharmen Dmytriw read the Past President’s Report for the late Alan Baxandall where the key points were that this past year, the Ag Society revitalized the grandstand. With warm weather and winter thawing, there became waterline issues on the grounds-plastic connectors on lines kept breaking.
The Grounds Up Market was a new event that had a successful turnout for the first year.
The Spring Chuckwagons and Father’s Day event were well-attended.
Sharmen went on to share Alan’s words, “Being part of this community is such a treat. Everywhere you turn, you can see what was built by the hands of volunteers. From parks to the golf course, community halls, churches and the list goes on. Be proud, hold your head up, smile, and carry on.”
Corn Maze Chair Don Harfield said there were 1,426 attendees at this event for 2024 compared to 2,600 from last year.
Attendance figures are not available for the Dash to Summer or Father’s Day event.
Shawn Holyk, Noah Baxandall, Terrell Fletcher, Kris Klammer, Suzanne Malo, Connie Steinwand were acclaimed as Directors. Other Directors whose term will continue are: Derek Fox, Grant Durie, Dan Beaudette, Bernice Bilyk, Shane Cartier, Tanya Hawkins, Georgina Klammer, Roger Petruk, Russell Crowe, Dwayne Dubuc, Don Harfield, Kirby Mears, Bryan Maynard and Daryl Tuck.
Kris Klammer was elected as President, Connie Steinwand as Treasurer and Tanya Hawkins as Executive Director. Russell Crowe’s term as Vice-President will continue until 2026.
