INNISFAIL — Dozens of local seniors came to the Innisfail and District Historical Village on June 8 to take back a longstanding tradition.
They came to celebrate Seniors’ Week at the Seniors Week Garden Party; an event taken away the last two years by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It's a good place to be because we have a lot of seniors and we have a lot of volunteers,” said 83-year-old Rose Winters. “This is a special place, the historical village in Innisfail. We all enjoy it, whatever they put on here.”
Seniors’ Week in Alberta, which ran this year from June 6 to 12, has been recognized in the province since 1986 to celebrate and recognize the contributions seniors make to enhance the quality of life in Alberta.
For the past many years, the town has hosted several events to honour seniors, most notably the Seniors Week Garden Party; the signature event for Seniors’ Week in Innisfail.
On June 7, the Innisfail Golf Club hosted a registered luncheon and tour at the club for local seniors.
This year’s garden party on June 8 was held from 1 to 3 p.m., and Mayor Jean Barclay was at the historical village early to help volunteers set up.
She was pleased with the high turnout, noting the weather was good and that the town’s most cherished citizens could relax, visit friends, listen to lively musical entertainment from Innisfail’s beloved Richard and Deborah Popovich, and have some delicious berry and apple pie topped with ice cream.
“I think we're seeing community events being very well attended and people are so grateful be able to come out again and get together and connect and have some fun,” said Barclay, who eagerly served seniors pie and ice cream with help from town councillors Gavin Bates, Cindy Messaros and Janice Wing.
“It's wonderful to see residents from Rosefield Centre and have staff bring them down here for an opportunity get out in the community and participate in the activities.”
“I just like to say thanks to all the seniors in the community. They have done so much for so many years. When we started (Seniors’ Week) yesterday, we had a function at the Innisfail golf course that Karen Bradbury and Sandy Wacker from FCSS organized, and then this again today. So, it's fantastic to see such a great turnout.”
Bradbury, the town’s community and social development coordinator, opened the event from the Bowden train station platform with a short introductory address. She thanked the dozens of seniors for their contributions to the community, and offered her best wishes for their future.
The Seniors Week Garden Party will be the second last event Bradbury will host for the town. Her last day will be on June 16 when she will be front and centre organizing the Innisfail Interagency Information Fair being held at the Innisfail Royal Canadian Legion Branch #104 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Bradbury and her husband Gerald have taken new managerial jobs at a faith-based organization at Sunset Point, a summer village near Alberta Beach on the eastern shore of Lac Ste. Anne.
“Seniors are awesome. It's been a pleasure to work with our older adults and our seniors in our community,” said Bradbury, admitting it was both “hard and bittersweet” to leave Innisfail and the people she served, including seniors.
“I'm going to miss seeing the seniors. I am going to miss doing a lot of these events, because I thrive on organizing and planning these events,” she said.
"So that's going to be difficult. But they're in good hands. So, I'm confident that whoever follows me will do great.”
