INNISFAIL -- From its humble beginnings in a community backyard more than 25 years ago the annual Mayor & Seniors Garden Party has become one of the town's most important social gatherings of the year.
Last week on June 4, from 1 to 3 p.m. more than 200 seniors with family members and friends attended this year's mayor's garden party, a welcome turnout at the Innisfail and District Historical Village for organizers and volunteers whose only worry was the status of available apple and saskatoon pies, courtesy of The Jungle Farm.
"We had 25 pieces with eight pieces per pie and we ran out," said Allyssa Bremner, community facilitator for the town, who noted the weather, although windy, held out with sunny skies until the end of the two-hour afternoon celebration.
"We had lots of positive feedback. Some said it was the best one yet, and that they would come back next year."
The annual event to celebrate seniors during Seniors' Week featured an introductory greeting from Mayor Jim Romane, who of course made his rounds to chat with as many seniors as he could. Along with the apple and saskatoon pies, seniors were also treated to ice cream, light refreshments and door prizes. Entertainment was provided by Richard and Deborah Popovich, who hosted their Variety Show, a mix of classic rock ‘n' roll and country music, and comedy.
"I really enjoy it. It is a chance to get out and meet the seniors who sometimes feel they are forgotten and left out, and this gives me a chance to mingle with them and get up to speed on their lives and see how things are going," said Romane, acknowledging seniors' continuing vital contributions to the community.
"Today is the result of their hard work from the past that brought us to this point in life and time. We have everything to thank for them," added the mayor. "Hopefully they can enjoy things and reap the fruit and seeds they have sowed."
The mayor also noted town staff has stepped up their efforts in the past two years to create more and better programming for seniors in Innisfail, which has one of the oldest populations of any community of similar size in Alberta. He said the result of the town's commitment to seniors is that there is more to offer them in terms of services and programming, and most importantly, greater support to help them continue to live at home or in familiar surroundings.
"There have been good results. It has been a lot of work. They have put a lot into it," he said.
Bremner said the intent for the always well attended annual event is for the town to show its recognition and appreciation for seniors during Seniors' Week.
She noted it was a past busy year for seniors with town-sponsored events, and despite not being successful in obtaining a federal grant this year to support new events, she added the town does not want to "lose momentum" when it comes to new service and programming delivery.
"Obviously we don't have the same funding to put on events but we would like to keep putting on different lunch and learn type of events throughout the year. We do have Wisdom Wednesdays coming up in October with a different topic every Wednesday and it's hosted at the seniors' centre," she said, noting there will be different speakers.
She added the town will still be offering the year-round Neighbours Helping Neighbours and Friendly Callers programs.
The next big day of interest for seniors and the community is a Walk the Talk event on June 14 that marks World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. The event will take place from 1 to 2 p.m. at École John Wilson Elementary School. Mayor Romane will be participating with students to raise awareness of elder abuse.
