Barrhead’s Main Street will be bustling with activity July 14 as the town’s Main Street Merchants Association hosts its second-annual July Fest.
The association is an affiliation of about 30 business people whose main goal is to attract people to downtown and its surrounding areas
Association members Christine Driessen and Desmond Ryland, owners of the Flower Shoppe and Define Clothing, said although the group is separate from Barrhead and District Chamber of Commerce, they often collaborate with the organization on mutually beneficial projects.
“Basically we are just a bunch of Main Street business owners, who are just trying to bring more people and business into Barrhead,” Driessen said.
The event begins at 11 a.m. and goes to 1 a.m. on Main Street.
Depending on the time of day people can expect to see a combination of events from kids games, to attractions for the older crowd, like a vendors market, live bands and a beer garden.
To accommodate all the festivities the association has arranged for Main Street to be shut down to traffic.
In addition to the entertainment, the association has resurrected an old community favourite, “The Taste of Barrhead.”
Patterned after, the Taste of Edmonton, where people purchase tickets that are exchanged for food samples representing multiple different ethnicities.
Barrhead’s version, which started in 2012, featured about 30 different food vendors, showcasing food from close to 10 ethnicities.
However, in recent years, the event held in late September in the Barrhead Elementary School gym to coincide with Alberta Heritage Days, hasn’t been as successful, in part due to scheduling conflicts with school to confirm if the gymnasium was available until the last moment.
“Last year people bought more than 9,000 tickets,” Driessen said, adding she believes this year’s version will be just as popular.
Ryland agreed, adding as of June 19th, 10 food vendors have already confirmed and they are expecting more by the time the event rolls around.
The Taste of Barrhead will run from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., but food will be available until 1 a.m. through the beer garden. Food tickets are $1.25 and depending on the vendor and the meal the number of tickets needed for an item will vary.
However, both Driessen and Ryland noted the big draw for July Fest is the entertainment.
“It’s all about having fun. There’s a magician and Footworks Dance Academy will be performing throughout the day,” she said.
But the biggest draw, Ryland interjected would be the live music, which will be playing throughout the entire event.
“People will get to hear a lot of great music from a lot of talented musicians,” he said.
One of the ones Ryland is most excited about is Jonathan Vautour, an up and coming Edmonton-based singer/song writer on the independent scene.
In conjunction with the event Barrhead Regional Fire Services (BRFS) is hosting the Provincial Hose Coupling competition. It was last held in 2015, and BRFS are the reigning champions. As the defending champs, Barrhead was slated to host the event in 2016, but because of the wildfire in Fort McMurray, it was postponed. It is estimated between 12 and 17 fire departments will attend.
“A couple years ago Barrhead [Regional] Fire Services with minimal notification and no prep time what so ever dominated the Provincial Hose Coupling Championships,” BRFS chief John Whittaker jokingly said at an April Town of Barrhead council meeting.
To accommodate all the activities council approved the road closure of 50 Avenue between 50 and 51 Streets between 5:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m.
Driessen and Ryland added they are still accepting food vendors and live entertainment as well as volunteers to help with set up and take down and for shifts at the beer garden. Food vendors contact Dennis Donkers at 780-674-1949.
For entertainment, especially musicians or to volunteer call Driessen at 780-284-7120.
