INNISFAIL – With a recent three-week long bone-chilling winter cold snap only leaving town just six days early there was welcome outdoor relief and plenty of seasonal magic for hundreds of local and out-of-town citizens attending Innisfail’s first ever winter festival.
Temperatures hovered around plus three Celsius for most of the late morning and afternoon on Jan. 15, and all attendees at the one-day festival, officially called Snow & Tumbleweeds: A celebration of Winter in the Prairies, were able to walk and browse around the Innisfail and District Historical Village in near-total comfort.
Organizers for the free first ever event, hosted in partnership between the village and the Town of Innisfail, opened the doors and 11 a.m. and there was a steady stream of visitors, and by 3 p.m. more than 250 had come to enjoy winter magic at its finest.
That magic included many activities and attractions, including ice sculpturing, snow painting, ice bubbles, a boiling tea competition, Bannock cooking on a fire pit, and maple taffy on snow.
“This has been excellent. Good weather. People are happy. They are optimistic. It’s good for the mental health of the community. It’s good to get outside and meet neighbours,” said Anna Lenters, president of the Innisfail and District Historical Society.
Lenters positioned herself at the village entrance for the entire free event to welcome visitors; many of them offering donations for the festival that went on until 4 p.m.
“This was important to bring our community together in a safe fashion,” said Lenters, whose event honoured provincially mandated COVID restrictions, which for outdoor events meant all citizens were asked to wear a mask. “It was also important to celebrate being a Canadian because it very much has a Canadian vibe to it, and it’s all about winter in the Prairies.”
One particular vibe that attracted many was the one offered by Calgary-based Guns of the Golden West Association, a historical re-enactment group of 48 members, which includes children, committed to creating fun by dressing up and thrilling audiences with mock gun fights, train robberies, or stealing the chief executive officer of a business or community.
The association puts on its brand of re-enactments in all parts of Alberta, as well as in British Columbia and Manitoba, and has even gone to Colorado.
Bob Wilson, the association’s promotions officer, said the historical village is set up similar to Calgary’s Heritage Park, which his group has frequently performed at.
“We entertain. Quite frankly if we can get a few smiles out of people and I certainly saw a bunch of those here today,” said Wilson, whose group also set up static displays at the village, including a trapper scene at the Poplar Grove cabin, as well as a station where guests could practice shooting balloons. “There are a number of things to do today to entertain.”
And entertain they did, and keeping a promise to steal the community’s chief executive officer. Mayor Jean Barclay attended the festival with Coun. Cindy Messaros, and the mayor was nabbed by the association’s desperate-looking Black Bart character.
Perhaps a bit shocked at first, Barclay was soon smiling amidst the sounds and sights of everyone having a blast all around her. It was all good fun.
“It ‘s wonderful and its great to see so many people out enjoying the day, and the weather is perfect. Again, another great event for Innisfail,” said Barclay. “The more events we can have in Innisfail the better. One can see how popular they are with our residents.”
