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A biker rides the track at the Pine Needle Mountain Bike and Music Festival in P.A. (Derek Craddock/paNOW Staff)
ROCKING AT LITTLE RED PARK

Crowd goes wild at 10th anniversary of Pine Needle festival

Jun 12, 2023 | 8:00 AM

The skies were clear, the weather was warm and Little Red River Park was rocking on Sunday.

All this was because of the Pine Needle Mountain Bike and Music Festival which returned to Prince Albert after a three-year hiatus.

The festival celebrated its 10th anniversary on Sunday but hasn’t been held since 2019 after COVID and restrictions prevented it from happening in 2020 and 2021. Last year, the event was postponed because of construction taking place at the park.

Mike Horn of Fresh Air Experience organized the event and said it feels good to be back.

“A lot of people have been asking about it, you know, and to finally be able to have it again,” he said. “It feels pretty good.”

(Derek Craddock/paNOW Staff)

Horn estimated that around 105 mountain bikers came out to the event, and travelled along the course that went around the park and in front of the main stage.

That stage featured a host of bands including LJ Tyson and the Locals, Heartwarming, The Socially Distant, and Green Wing.

With Prince Albert home to many festivals throughout the year, Horn explained why Pine Needle was unique.

“To my knowledge, it’s the only one that’s in Little Red River Park,” he said. “The whole idea, in the background of the festival, is to try and attract people out to the park.”

He added the event used to be just the race but they decided to incorporate the music and activities to make it more inclusive.

Horn is looking forward to next year when the event plans to return to Little Red River Park for an 11th year.

derek.craddock@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @princealbertnow