Westerner Park officials are overjoyed about the success of this year’s annual five-day fair.
“I want to thank everyone for the most successful event in the history of the fair,” says Erin Gobolos, marketing and sponsorship manager for Westerner Park.
The Westerner Days Fair and Exposition, which ran July 21 – 25, set three new records; 15,410 people attended on Wednesday the 21st, 24,302 people attended on Friday the 23rd and total attendance was 92,689, which beat the previous highest attendance of 90,757 set in 2008. Last year’s attendance was 88,061.
Gobolos attributed the record numbers to “our premier new facilities, impressive entertainment line-up, good weather and our dedicated staff and volunteers.”
New facilities include the Donald Administration building outside the main gate, which freed up additional performance space at the centre of the site.
A new venue called Artistic Expressions allowed artists and artisans to display their talents and many visitors commented on how much they enjoyed the art exhibit and art gallery.
There were live demonstrations of the arts like glass blowing, wheel throwing, rock balancing and a human statue. There was also a stage for local up-and-coming entertainers to perform.
A successful idea held over from 2009 was the Sunny Family Fun Zone where all the generations of a family could enjoy entertainment and food. It was expanded to include an entertainment stage and new rides.
The beer garden, the Molson Canadian Ranch, was enhanced to make it more of a party zone. People seemed to really enjoy the new outdoor stage and more live entertainment.
Gobolos says “we were able to triple the amount of live entertainment to our event than ever before. In addition to our new venues was our notable entertainment line-up.” Performers this year included Trooper, two Kraze Birthday Bash dance parties, Marianas Trench and Johnny Reid.
The theme of the fair this year was ‘face time.’
“We wanted people to spend ‘face time’ with their friends and family and take a break from communicating with people through social media mediums,” says Gobolos.
For a video highlighting Westerner Days visit: http://www.youtube.com/user/RedDeerExpress1#p/a/u/0/F7LkB6BCGj8
