The Northwest Territorial Days Parade and Exhibition in North Battleford is a summer staple for locals. (file photo)

By Kenneth Cheung

FAMILY FRIENDLY EVENTS

Battlefords area gears up for fun this August

Aug 7, 2024 | 4:06 PM

The days are starting to get a little shorter, but there’s still a lot of time to enjoy fun events tailored for families before the summer ends.

According to Environment Canada, the next seven days will be filled with sunshine and temperatures hovering around 25 C making conditions perfect for what the town of Battleford and the City of North Battleford have in store for residents.

Fred Light Museum Brings Back Old Fashioned Family Fun

Old-Fashioned Family Fun Day is making its fifth grand return at the Fred Light Museum on Aug.9.

Museum Manager Bernadette Leslie hopes to offer people a glimpse into Battleford’s history by playing games and doing activities that were popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

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“There’s going to be hopscotch games and a face painter here, twisters games, horse and wagon rides, fish pond. It’s a little bit of everything for any age,” said Leslie. “It’s a different way to bring people to the museum and learn our history.”

There will also be a vintage car show, live music, bouncy castles and more. Leslie said the festival’s diverse range of entertainment and old-fashioned fun will provide an opportunity for families to bond in a traditional way through interaction and without the distractions of phones and screens.

For the new elements this year, there will be live music performances for every age to enjoy.

The dunk tank at a previous Old-Fashioned Family Fun Days (Photo from Fred Light Museum)

Summer staple: Northwest Territorial Days

Following the Old-Fashioned Family Fun Day in Battleford, the City of North Battleford will celebrate the annual Northwest Territorial Days. The Battlefords Agricultural Society comes together to mark this traditional event that is more than 100 years old with the ‘Parade of Champions’ on Aug. 13 and a two-day carnival from Aug. 14 to Aug. 16.

The first official fair was held in 1887.

“Battlefords Agricultural Society started in 1884. And we’ve had fairs and parades every year since, except for two years due to the Louis Riel rebellion in 1885 and COVID in 2020. But ever since then, we have been going strong and this year will be our 134th,” said Jocelyn Ritchie, Battlefords Agricultural Society General Manager

This year’s theme of the parade is ‘diverse cultures’. Ritchie said they wanted to embrace everybody, showing that we can all live and work together, focusing on equality and celebrating the diversity of cultures.

The parade will kick off and end at the Civic Centre, starting at 7 p.m.

To continue the celebration of Northwest Territorial Days, West Coast Amusements will take over Battlefords Exhibition Park from Aug. 14 to Aug. 16

Ritchie said the annual event is positive boon for the local economy.

“It’s a good opportunity for our local businesses to show what they have locally by having their parade trucks and their floats and everything in the parade and the fair.”

“It also brings a lot of economic impact, They [visitors] come from all over the place, and they’ll spend money here as well. It’s very, very good for the community.”

The iconic carousel in the Northwest Territorial Days exhibition.( Photo from Battlefords Agricultural Society)

There is more to come!

The fun doesn’t just stop there, If you find that your schedule in August isn’t full enough, there are more options available.

The Western Development Museum (WDM) in North Battleford is preparing to host an event called “History In Motion” running from Aug. 17 to Aug. 18

There will be vintage fire truck rides, horse-drawn wagon rides, a children’s activity area, live entertainment, Heritage Farm and Village demonstrations, the Discovery Co-op Parade of Power, and on-site concessions. For more information, visit the Western Development Website.

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com