SUNDRE – The upcoming Neighbours’ Day Trade Fair and Expo provides a perfect opportunity to build proverbial bridges between industry and community, says the executive director of the organization behind the event that with few exceptions has run annually for nearly 30 years.
“I think it’s the fact that SPOG focuses on the relationship between industry, community and our government partners as opposed to just dealing with trending issues,” said Tracey McCrimmon, the executive director of Sundre Petroleum Operators Group, which is a synergy organization that has been operating since 1992.
“We’re way more focused on the long-term benefits of the relationships,” McCrimmon recently told the Albertan when asked what she thought has helped ensure the event’s longevity.
The 2024 edition of Neighbours’ Day takes place Friday, Aug. 23 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Sundre Arena in collaboration with the Sundre & District Chamber of Commerce and in partnership with many community groups including the Greenwood Neighbourhood Place Society, Sundre Municipal Library, Sundre & District Agricultural Society School and Adult Fair, Town of Sundre, Sundre & District Historical Society, Sundre Farmers’ Market, Bulls & Wagons and the Sundre Hospital Futures Committee.
This year, visitors who plan to drop by are encouraged to bring in their empty recycling containers in support of The Den – Sundre Youth Centre, which is conducting a bottle drive throughout the day.
Activities include a petting zoo from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; an axe throwing station from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; a live demonstration by members of the Sundre Fire Department at 11 a.m.; and live music from noon to 1:30 p.m.
Getting things started at 8 a.m. will be a pancake breakfast that wraps up by 9:30 a.m. followed later by another opportunity to refuel around lunchtime with beef on a bun from noon to 1:30 p.m.
“I would say we’re going to kind of carry on with our same program,” said McCrimmon.
“We are very, very happy with the response of participants, and so we look forward to a pretty full capacity of well-rounded industry groups and community groups,” she said.
“Our focus for Neighbours’ Day of course is focusing on continuing to build that relationship,” she said.
But the event is not just an opportunity for members of the community to get a chance to meet with representatives from numerous companies that set up a table at the fair. The expo also serves as an ideal avenue for newer industry players that want to build inroads with the public, she said.
“It is always a great opportunity to get out of the gate with your community and introduce yourself,” she said. “It’s about making sure that we keep our finger on the pulse as to who’s working and living in our community.”
This year’s theme, which was determined many months ago when there were concerns about the possibility of record drought conditions wreaking havoc across the province, is Fire and Drought.
“It’s really trying to bring in awareness that water and fire right now are some of our biggest issues,” said McCrimmon.
“When we picked this theme, of course we were in for a record dry spring and that didn’t happen,” she added.
However, as of the time of writing, some of Alberta remained in water shortage management stage 4 out of a potential maximum of 5 while the Red Deer River water basin, which includes all of SPOG's area, was at a stage 3.
And while recent rains have certainly provided welcome relief for firefighters, there were nevertheless still 121 active wildfires across the province, eight of which were burning out of control, according to the online Alberta Wildfire status dashboard.
That includes the inferno in Jasper National Park that is estimated at approximately 33,400 hectares, as per the municipality of Jasper’s website.
Asked for her thoughts on climate change, McCrimmon said SPOG is an apolitical organization.
“We try to stay out of that space,” she said.
Citing presentations from groups such as WaterSmart, she said, “a lot of their scientists go back to scenarios where they’re measuring drought cycles and water cycles based on the life of tree rings.
“Is our climate changing? Well, it’s ever-evolving and changing,” she said, expressing uncertainty as to whether human activity is contributing to a substantial acceleration of an otherwise naturally-occurring cycle.
“In my opinion, we have greater issues with regards to fire suppression practices that we need to do forest management in a completely different way.”
