Two cars collide in the first heat of the Demolition Derby at the Prince Albert Exhibition on Aug. 5. (Derek Craddock/paNOW Staff)

By paNOW Staff

SUMMER FAIR

Another successful year for the P.A. Exhibition and Summer Fair

Aug 9, 2023 | 12:10 PM

The curtain has fallen on another year for the Prince Albert Exhibition and Summer Fair and preparations will soon begin for next year’s events.

Deb Despins is the general manager of the Prince Albert Exhibition Association and said that everything seemed to align perfectly for the summer fair.

“The weather cooperated with us almost 100 per cent and so that meant that people came out in large quantities,” she said.

While an official count hasn’t been released yet, Despins is confident that they exceeded their total from 2022. Last year, more than 22,000 people came through the doors of the Exhibition for the summer fair.

Despins said they didn’t run into many challenges this year, adding that everything was status quo with the heavy horse pull, the beef cattle shows, the midway and the PA EX drill team.

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Once again though, one of the biggest attractions of the fair was the Demolition Derby which went Saturday afternoon to a packed house at the Grandstand.

“The people love to see that show and we will certainly look forward to hosting it again for 2024,” said Despins.

Another major hit at the Summer Fair was the midway which featured a number of rides and attractions once again put on by West Coast Amusements.

Owner and Secretary Wendy Hauser spoke to paNOW about the week, saying that everything seemed to click.

“The general vibe was very positive. Everyone was having a good time, and we were up in revenue. The advance ticket sales went very well, and the weather was perfect.”

West Coast Amusements is based in Chilliwack B.C. and was founded in 1962 by Irvin R. “Bingo” Hauser. The company travels to countless fairs and events in Western Canada each summer. Hauser spoke about what it’s like for the workers to be a part of the fairs and travel from place to place.

“It’s not a nine-to-five job for sure and I think they love being in the outdoors and making people happy and smile. It is a lot of work,” she said. “The driving is a lot, the setting up and tearing down and the cleaning and the repairs and maintenance. There’s always jobs to do but it’s very positive.”

She said the industry continues to thrive and anticipates great things in the future, adding that it’s something that families look forward to each year.

“It really is one of the positive things that happens in every city and town and it brings people together and it makes them forget their troubles for the day or the week,” she said.

West Coast Amusements will no doubt return for the 2024 Summer Fair and Despins said the Exhibition Association is reviewing this year’s festivities and will soon get started on preparations for next year.

“We sort of go through the pros and cons and how we can improve on things and where things went very well,” she said. “This will be something that the board reviews, and they do review it every year, and then we move forward to making the plans to organize for 2024.”

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panews@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @princealbertnow