Bon Accord Harvest Days promising three days of fun

AveryScrimshawWEBby Stephen Dafoe

Although the fall harvest may be a little ways away, the annual Harvest Days Festival hits Bon Accord this weekend for three days. Organizers are once again hoping to lure residents from Morinville and surrounding area to the community for what they believe will be another great weekend event for families.

This year’s event is once again being put on by a group of volunteers under the umbrella of the Bon Accord & District Ag Society. The event takes place Aug. 8 to 10, kicking off Friday night with a 12-team slo-pitch tournament and beer gardens, before kicking into high gear with a wide variety of activities on Saturday, including the annual parade, a full slate of entertainers on the Ag Society Stage, penny carnival, petting zoo, and a number other children’s activities. New this year is a Firefighter Challenge event where firefighters will run attendees through the challenge and invite parents to compete against their children or one another. Also new this year is the addition of adult roller derby in the evening featuring the Oil City Derby Girls. Sunday will wrap up the festival with the Ag Society Pancake Breakfast at the arena from 9 a.m. to noon, and the finale of the slo-pitch tournament.

Shelly Chubb, Bon Accord’s Community Services Manager, believes it is the people behind the event that are the reason for the festival’s longevity. “The volunteers and the partnership between the Bon Accord & District Ag Society and the Town of Bon Accord are what attribute to the longevity of this event,” she said, noting her and the community’s appreciation for the hard work of many volunteers that make the annual event a family favourite.

Organizers are hoping families outside Bon Accord will also come out to Harvest Days and take part in the weekend. “People come out to Harvest Days and experience the community spirit of a small town,” Chubb said. “It is a great opportunity for people to connect or reconnect with families and friends, as in family reunions. Because it is held annually on the same weekend in August, family and friends who are separated by distance can plan their vacation around this fun filled event.”

Gate admission is $5 per person for Saturday’s events. Donations will be collected for the Burn Society to participate in the firefighters’ challenge.

A complete list of events can be found at http://www.bonaccord.ca/HarvestDays2014.

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