BY ZACHARY CORMIER
Lacombe Express
The Town of Blackfalds is gearing up for what is sure to be a fun-filled weekend as the 2016 Blackfalds Days festival is set to get underway on Friday.
“Blackfalds Days is our annual opportunity to come together as a community and get to know our neighbours and to share some celebratory activities,” said Sue Bornn, one of the head organizers of the event.
The annual celebration weekend runs from Friday evening through to Sunday afternoon and, this year, will feature the theme, ‘Putting the U and I in Community.’
“One of the biggest goals in Blackfalds, being such a dynamic young community with young families and so many new residents every year, is to provide opportunities for people to come together and get to know other people in the community as well as get a feel for how we define our community,” Bornn said.
This year will see the return of several past favourites along with a number of new additions to the list of things going on in the community throughout the weekend.
It all gets going on Friday night at 6 p.m. with the ever-popular Amazing Race Family Edition at the Abbey Centre followed by the kick off of the annual Blackfalds Days Slo-Pitch Tournament at All-Star Park.
Friday will also see the first new addition to the long list of events with the Youth Night Out, which runs between 6 and 8 p.m. and is geared to youth aged 10-17.
“We’ve got an inflatable obstacle course, we’ve got bumper balls, tug of war, an eating contest and some other fun stuff that is happening at the Community Hall,” Bornn said, adding that because the event is for ages 10-17, participants do need to have their parent or guardian sign a waiver in advance.
These are available online at www.blackfalds.com/register or at the Abbey Centre.
After Friday’s festivities conclude, the party starts back up bright and early on Saturday morning with the annual Town Councillor’s Pancake Breakfast at 7:30 a.m.
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg on Saturday, as there are events planned throughout the day all over the town.
Highlights from Saturday include the annual Community Parade at 11 a.m., a Family Street Dance featuring Red Deer singer Randi Boulton and her band and, of course, the Blackfalds Days Fireworks starting at dusk (approx. 11 p.m.)
“One thing we’re doing this year in light of where we’re at with our economic situation, we are doing a food drive during our parade. We’d love to encourage people to bring a food bank donation,” said Bornn, adding that the goal is to stuff a BOLT bus with food.
“As the BOLT bus goes by we’ll have volunteers walking the route and collecting donations so that we can ensure that the Food Bank is nice and plentifully stocked.”
The third and final day on Sunday gets underway with a Community Church Service at the new Abbey Centre Amphitheatre at 10:30 a.m. and will also feature a Block Party in the Park beginning at noon in Centennial Park and the new Taste of Blackfalds international food festival at the Community Hall beginning at 12:30 p.m.
“It just provides an opportunity for people to see what the community is made of and hopefully meet some new neighbours and make friends along the way,” Bornn said.
A full schedule of events can be found on the Town of Blackfalds’ web site at www.blackfalds.com.
zcormier@lacombeexpress.com