Gearing up for another round of top-notch family entertainment, the Westerner Days Fair & Exposition is set to take place July 19th-23rd.
The parade, which winds its way through Red Deer’s downtown, will officially kick things off on July 19th.
Highlights also abound this year for Westerner Days, including 10 artists over four days at the ENMAX Centrium. All shows are free with gate admission and new this year, floor seats can be reserved prior to the shows until 8 p.m.
Nice Horse and Hey Romeo as well we Jess Moskaluke perform on July 19th, followed by Kenny Shield and Streetheart and Chilliwack on July 20th; Jamie Woodfin and Ken Stead and Tom Cochrane with Red Rider plays July 21st and Jocelyn Alice and Coleman Hill are rounding things out on July 22nd.
Other features this year include the Ride all Day (RAD) passes – early bird price of $33 – which includes gate admission and unlimited midway rides for any one day of Westerner Days. Tickets can be purchased via TicketsAlberta.com. MEGA Passes, which is a multi-day pass includes gate admission for any three days of Westerner Days but does not include rides or parking. Early bird price for this pass is $25.
Early bird pricing ends June 15th at 11:59 p.m. After that, Ride All Day and MEGA passes are available from June 16th – July 18th at participating Mac’s and Central Alberta Co-op Food Store locations at regular price.
New this year is a ‘Calm Room’ which will offer families a quiet place to unwind and relax on the fairground.
The Morning of Faith, a non-denominational service, will take place July 23rd. The grounds will open at 10 a.m. at no charge to those who wish to attend the service. “They will be welcome to stay for the rest of the day for Westerner Days,” said Nancy Paish, business development manager at Westerner Park.
The speaker at this year’s Morning of Faith will be Jason Caldwell, the father of the twins, Jordan and Evan, who lost their lives in the tragic tobogganing accident at Calgary Olympic Park in 2016.
“Confronted with grief, Jason used his faith as a source of stability and hope to come to terms with the loss of his two sons. He will share his story at the Morning of Faith,” said Paish.
Also, new agriculture events this year include Equine Experience and Gypsy Vanner Feather Horse Classic.
Other traditional fair favourites include the Red Deer Motors North American Pony Chuckwagon Championship nightly at 6:30 p.m. Crowds of over 4,000 gather nightly to take in this exciting event while 48 drivers from western Canada and the United States compete over the five days, all vying for the coveted North American championship buckle and trophy.
Of course, the midway continues to offer fairgoers all kinds of exciting rides, including 18 thrill rides, 13 family rides and nine kiddie rides. Other sites to check out include Bandaloni, the Aussie Rules Dueling Pianos, the Petting Pals Petting Zoo, the Saputo Kids Corral, Robocars, the Magic of Aaron Matthews, the West Coast LumberJills, among others.
The Holiday Inn 19th Street Market runs daily from noon to 10 p.m. in the Prairie Pavilion as well.
From fashion to home and yard decorum, hot tubs to home maintenance, the Holiday Inn 19th Street Market offers over 100 worldwide exhibitors a place to showcase their products and services to everyone.
Admission prices for the fair run as follows – seniors (65 +) $6; adults (18+) $14; youth (13-17) $11; children (6-12) $6 and children (five and under) get in for free.
Onsite parking is $7 and offsite parking is $5.
For complete details, check out westernerdays.ca.
