CARSTAIRS - A sure sign of summer in Carstairs is the excitement building around Beef and Barley Days.
The longtime festival is set for July 19-21 and will feature several great events including a rodeo, slo-pitch tournament, show 'n shine, fireworks, art show and sale, Smokin' BBQ, parade and much, much more.
Beef and Barley Days is organized by the Carstairs and District Ag Society with help from many local organizations such as the Carstairs Lions Club, the curling club, rodeo, chamber of commerce and the Town of Carstairs.
Kelly Casebeer, manager of the ag society, said that preparations are going well and everything is ready for the big event.
"The rodeo starts on Friday as does the slo-pitch tournament," said Casebeer. "Also on Friday is the Big Rig Show 'n Shine, which was a big hit last year. That'll run Friday night and Saturday during the day. Cornine Commodities puts on a barbecue on Saturday in conjunction with the show 'n shine. Proceeds from that go to Carstairs MInor Hockey."
The slo-pitch tournament also goes Saturday and Sunday, while the rodeo, which includes the ever popular mutton busting, wraps up Saturday, said Casebeer.
"There are plenty of new events this year including a 3 on 3 ball hockey tournament in the arena," she said. "They do need to register and they can do that as a player or as a team."
To register for the ball hockey tournament go to carstairsminorhockey.ca/3on3.
A mainstay over the years is the parade Saturday morning. The theme for this year's parade is a salute to STARS, said Casebeer.
"STARS will be in attendance at the parade and they'll also have their booth set up at the curling club," she said. "There'll be floats and bands at the parade. People can pre-register with the Town of Carstairs for the parade. That (information) is all on our website. It starts at 11 a.m. with lineup at 10 a.m."
There is also plenty for kids to do in the Kids Zone from 12:30 until 4:30 p.m. at Memorial Park.
"There'll be kids' games and kids' train rides," she said. "We also have the Ag for Life Farm Safety exhibit. It'll be over by the curling club as well."
There will also be plenty of music and other entertainment including karaoke Friday night at the curling rink lounge, the 2A Community Band at the gazebo Saturday afternoon, and an art show and sale at the Half Century Club Saturday afternoon as well.
Casebeer said that one of the highlights every year is the barbecue and this year is no exception.
"We will have a family social barbecue event with live music from Ghostboy," she said. "There's no cover charge for the music. There will be a cash bar. People can just come for a drink if they like or come for dinner. Tickets for dinner are $10 each. We're doing smoked beef on Traeger smokers. I think it'll be lots of fun."
Also not to be missed on Saturday are wagon rides at the Carstairs Heritage Centre, an all-makes car show at Carstairs Ford and a farmers market at the curling rink.
For a complete list of events, times and locations visit the Carstairs Ag Society website (carstairsagsociety.ca) and look under annual events.
"It'll be a lot of fun for the whole family," said Casebeer. "We (ag society) put it together with a lot of help from the community. There are lots of volunteers putting in lots of hours. It's good fun for the community and fun for people visiting. There's lots to see and lots to do."
