August 11, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Festivals & Events
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I have been anticipating the arrival of the annual fall fair to Dawson Creek since I got here ~~ and the time has come. Last night I was eager to take in the Chuckwagon races. Here there was a show of Western and World Class Professional Chuckwagon racers. I have to say I have never realized the importance nor the difficulty that an out-rider has in this sport. Needless to say there were already vendors set up on the mid way….food, food and more food. From what I saw there was 2 watering holes which are going to have nightly entertainment. One cannot forget that tomorrow morning is a fall parade, which is going to be huge and great for the families. Did I mention how exciting these Chuckwagon Races are!! It is non-stop action packed with horses, cowboys, outriders, dirt, dust and cheering fans. If you are in the Peace Region be sure to come and check out the fall fair in Dawson Creek.
March 09, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Festivals & Events
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The annual Cabin Fever Winter Festival hosted by the Mattson Family took place on a very cold, clear February day this year. We were all dressed up in our warmest winter clothes to be outside.
It was a day of visiting, laughing, eating, dancing, playing and stiff competition between neighbors and visitors alike.
The kids with their rosy cheeks had a great time racing the "Board Walk" (modified three legged race where they have to walk together with feet strapped into two short pieces of lumber) and also testing their skills in the "Snowball Toss."
Adult Competitions:
"Tea-Boiling" – contestants had to run to grab a hatchet and kindling and light a fire with no paper and only ten matches to bring a pot of water to a rolling boil – first one to drop a bag of tea in the pot was declared the winner.
"Cross-Cut Sawing" – teams of two people sawing a slice from a big log with an antique cross-cut saw.
"Bale Rolling Race" – Teams rolling 1500 pound bales of hay a lengthy distance.
"Mitt Mayhem" – This was the best! Contestants struggled to open a canned drink and make a peanut butter and jam sandwich wearing large bulky snowmobile mitts.
The competitions were fierce! The winners were thrilled!
There was a beautiful team of Shire Horses giving sleigh rides. Hot food was served in the warm barn and we had a warm-up fire and hay bale wind break to make the outdoor event comfortable even with the bitter winter day.
The festival ended with a barn dance in "Albert's Loft" with old timey music by the Sweetwater Ramblers.
The festival was a great way to shake off the winter with friends and laughs.
February 16, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Festivals & Events
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The Spirit Art Festival has transformed Dawson Creek streets into a city-wide art gallery for the month of February. Many of the downtown businesses have turned their street front windows into display cases for our local artists.
Last Sunday, I bundled up, parked my car at the corner of 102nd Ave & 10th Street, by the Mile O Post and went for a walkabout with my camera and a friend.
I stopped at Café Europa for my favorite specialty coffee to sip and walked up and down the streets looking at the awesome local art. It was great to have the time to stop and really look at all the work.
There are displays from potters, printmakers, painters, photographers and quilters.
My absolute favorite is the display inside the Alaska Highway House that features the work of a local potter who just recently lost her life. She was an avid potter and her family put her latest work on display for the community and visitors to enjoy.
Projects like this really enhance the city. We are bursting at the seams with talent and I am looking forward to taking into many other performances and displays. My congratulations to the planners who chose the winter month of February to put on this festival.
Grab a hot drink and check out the art!
January 11, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Festivals & Events
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December 30 was a cold winter day in Dawson Creek, the temperatures plunged to -32 celcius.
Our holiday company had been up for a week and we were all feeling a bit house bound. Our 2 nephews were getting bored and we needed something different to do.
The 3rd annual Christmas Extravaganza was being held at the Lakota Equestrian Center in the new Multiplex.
We have gone every year so far, so decided to brave the cold and check it out. The place was packed! People had come out in droves to watch all the different horse clubs that use the facility put on a demonstration.
The show started with a Grand Entry of Flags, then came the jumping horses, dressage horses, a rodeo drill team, barrel racing, western pleasure horses, team roping, reining, and cow penning.
There was a young woman riding without a bridle, and a young man who had taught his miniature donkey to jump over rails. but the best were the little kids just learning to ride and those on ponies tying goats and riding around obstacles while trying to stay on. What fun!
There are a lot of thriving horse clubs in Dawson Creek and the equestrian center is in constant use. There are 110 indoor stalls and each one is rented all year round.
We will definitely go again next year. If you are visiting over the holidays, I really recommend you check it out. It's free and open to the public. Even if you miss the showcase, a trip to the Lakota Center is a great way to spend an hour or so.
December 14, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Festivals & Events
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The annual Old Fashioned Christmas Festival sponsored by the Rotary Club of Dawson Creek is held at Pioneer Village and is free to the public.
I went to meet up with some friends and was impressed to see so many people there.
As chance had it, the temperature climbed from a chilly -20 to a balmy -5 on the day of the outdoor festival and many in the community took full advantage of the reprieve from the cold.
It was dark already by the time the festivities began at 6pm and the Village was all lit up. There were two teams of horses giving rides to sleighs full of people, bonfires strategically placed around the village for hand warming and marshmallows and Santa hats everywhere.
Christmas carols were being played while hot dogs, hot chocolate and cookies were being passed out to everyone.
Chestnuts were actually being roasted on an open fire and the gentleman who was manning the roasting pan was being kept busy by an eager audience of young and old alike. I tried my first one and it was delicious. Kind of nutty.
December 01, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Festivals & Events
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The weather for this year's annual Tree Light Up was a bit chilly, it was minus 20 something on the morning of November 19, and we almost decided to stay home by the fire instead of getting all bundled up and driving in to town, but we had arranged to meet some friends, so away we went.
The City of Dawson Creek moved the Mile O Post to a temporary location at the Northern Alberta Railway Park, a block north of it's usual home and put up a 35-40 foot tree in it's place and draped it with multi-colored lights. The streets have been decorated with big white snowflakes and it really is beginning to look a lot like Christmas here.
I'm glad we went because it turned out to be a great community party and the cold weather actually added to the fun.
It's nice to offer events like this to both the people who live here and also the many who find themselves far away from home and staying in our hotels, motels and bed & breakfasts.
Many of the local businesses were open for the light up celebration and some were handing out hot chocolate, hot cider, popcorn and even glow sticks.
There were kids of all ages mingling around and of course Santa was there too.
September 05, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Festivals & Events
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Just outside of Dawson Creek in the hamlet of Rolla, a yearly Music & Arts Festival is held each September. The talented artists come from all over western Canada to participate in this jewel of an event.
I've gone every year as an enthusiastic supporter and am continually amazed at how far people travel to enjoy this festival. A field of campers and tents attest to the numbers and dedication.
The festival is held on a private working farm and the artistry of the owners is apparent with each building and garden. All the stalls in the farm's two barns have been turned into individual art galleries, there are films offered in Albert's Loft, the loft performing art center, butter churning and ice-cream making, stock dog-sheep demonstration and pony rides for the kids.
I also took a tour of the farm on a wagon pulled by a beautiful team of Fjord horses as an extra treat.
On Friday night, after a short but intense storm, we were rewarded with the most spectacular triple rainbows I have ever seen. We gathered around bonfires well into the night visiting, listening and dancing to great music.
Sitting on a bench near a flower garden, I especially enjoyed the Saturday morning offerings in the main yard. A group of women poets who have recently published a book graced an enthusiastic audience with selected readings.
If you are looking for something extra-ordinary, this 3-day event is not to be missed!
August 18, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Festivals & Events
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We have such a great Fall Fair here in Dawson Creek. I have been going every year since I was a kid. People from all over the world come to make Rodeo Weekend a holiday.
I love to go early on Saturday morning with a fresh cup of coffee, a few bucks in my pocket and fresh batteries in my camera to take in all the exhibits and competitions.
Every type of animal has it's own facility and over the years, it keeps getting better. All the barns are brightly decorated, there are flowers everywhere and so much to see and appreciate about the agriculture that is the backbone of this community.
I spend the whole day walking around talking to people, looking at the exhibits and watching the various shows. I love seeing cows being groomed, heavy horses pulling great skids of weights, llamas wearing halters, dressage in the light horse ring, displays of grains and quilts and jams and sweet peas. It truly is a wonderful fair!
Over the years, the booths have been built to resemble a western town. There is excellent fair food offered by the local service groups and everyone has their favorites.
There is always great country band in the Watering Hole Beer Gardens and it seems that everyone knows how to two-step. Staying to watch the nightly fireworks is the perfect end of a great day of fun and community.
August 15, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Festivals & Events
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Going for a spin with friends on the Tilt-A-Whirl is one thing, but hanging upside down and being whipped around for 5 minutes in a gravity defying machine is quite another.
It's Fall Fair Days in Dawson Creek and it seemed like the whole region and friends from far and wide show up to celebrate.
A big part of the Fair is the Midway. This year, as usual there were bumper-to-bumper line-ups of people of all ages waiting to get on one of the rides for an adrenalin rush.
Several of those rides are not for the faint of heart.I love the way the Ferris Wheel faces to watch the Chuck Wagon races. We were lucky this time and were loaded first on the Wheel so we got extra airtime while they loaded the rest. We watched a Pro Chuck Wagon race thunder around the track from the best seat in the house, high above.
The Midway wouldn't be the same without the smell of cotton candy, loud music that almost drowns out the screams of delight and the sight of people walking around with stuffed toys they won at a game.
I spent my usual amount tossing rings at little floating duckies and even threw a few darts... no luck this time...
but there is always next year.
August 08, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Festivals & Events
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Every year we go to the
Kiskatenaw Fall Fair. Tucked away on a country road just off the Hart Highway about a half hour west of Dawson Creek, this old time community fair is a reminder of simpler times.
There is none of the glitz and glimmer found at large exhibitions, this country fair is like down-home cooking.
There is a barn filled with local handcrafts and preserves, a few rows of prize farm animals and 2 days of horse shows.
We always go on the Saturday for the heavy horses pulls. I love to see those huge animals showing what they were raised to do. They skid heavy logs through obstacle courses just like they skidded logs out of the forest when horses did logging. The teams also compete to see who can pull the heaviest loads. It truly is teamwork at it's finest.
The food is home cooked, generous and very affordable. The admission price to the fair is by donation and the atmosphere is friendly and welcoming.
The fair is held at the beginning of August every year and is well attended by locals and visitors alike.