By Angela Brown

Agricultural Society exhibition planned ahead; Home Expo postponed

Apr 8, 2022 | 4:39 PM

NORTH BATTLEFORD — The Battlefords Agricultural Society Inc. has cancelled the Spring Home Expo originally scheduled for April 22 and 23. However, the Northwest Territorial Days Exhibition will continue as planned later in the summer.

General manager Jocelyn Ritchie said the Home Expo Trade Show was postponed due to a lack of vendors registering to participate.

“We are still seeing a lot of the effects of COVID,” she told battlefordsNOW. “And not only COVID. With the war in Ukraine and everything, a lot of our people were not able to get supplies to show at the trade show. So a lot of our vendors did not have products or supplies. As well, they didn’t have enough staff.”

The agricultural society is considering holding the trade show later in the year instead.

“Hopefully, we can have something for the fall,” Ritchie said. “But we will definitely have a trade show as part of our exhibition in August. One building will be full of booths like it normally is.”

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With cases of COVID-19 now increasing in Saskatchewan, she said it is difficult to know for sure whether the inaugural Home Expo Trade Expo will be able to go ahead this year.

“We don’t know what the future holds unfortunately,” Ritchie said. “We are just kind of going day by day, and we will see what we can do. We didn’t want to do [an event] that wasn’t a good show for everybody. We felt waiting was a better option.”

Those who have already registered will be fully refunded.

Plans for exhibition

The Northwest Territorial Days parade and exhibition will continue as planned in August.

The event will include a Light Horse Show, a Draft Horse Show with the heavy horses, as well as the 4-H Light Horse Show.

“We’ll be running chuckwagon [races] for three days, as well as chariot races during the exhibition,” Ritchie said. “And, there’s lots of entertainment.”

She added the Canadian operation West Coast Amusements, which usually presents the midway events, will return for a full offering of rides and attractions.

“It should be full tilt for August 17, 18 and 19,” Ritchie said. “We’ll also have a parade for Monday evening [Aug. 15].”

The annual Demolition Derby will be back again as a stand-alone event, similar to last year, scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 27.

Community Garage Sale

Coming up, the agricultural society will hold a Community Garage Sale and Swap Meet planned for May 28 on the exhibition grounds in North Battleford.

“There will be a lot going on. I look forward to seeing everybody, and working with them this year,” Ritchie said.

Also, later this spring, the Children’s Festival, offering a variety of entertainment for kids, is planned for June 10.

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow