It starts with the Pioneer/Corteva Pancake Breakfast and ends with the Wanham Plowing Match Thunder In The Pines II Skijoring.
In between there’s a lot of stuff going on at the 35th annual Foster’s Peace Country Classic Agri-Show March 12-14 at Evergreen Park. And it’s all free admission!
Click on the Show logo to the right for a complete list of days and times for all events.
The pancake breakfast, free to the public, starts at 9 a.m. on Thursday in the foyer of the TARA Centre.
And at 10 a.m. the big Show gets underway. It goes 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. The Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers Concessions will be open in the TARA Centre and Drysdale Centre all three days. City of Grande Prairie is the Thursday Day Sponsor; ATB is the Friday Day Sponsor; and William Joseph Communications is the Saturday Day Sponsor.
It is the largest agricultural show of its kind in northwestern Alberta and one of the largest in western Canada. Click on Events Schedule, Horse Program Schedule or Speaker Schedule for detailed information on those events.
Hundreds of exhibitors will be on site both inside and outside the TARA Centre- which is also being used for speaking seminars all three day and exhibitors filling Evaskevich Hall, NuVista Energy and Salons C & D and the hallway in the MD of Greenview North Wing. The MD of Greenview North Wing is also where the annual Peace Crafts & Creations Show & Sale will be held all three days of the Show.
The foyer of the TARA Centre is the location of the Michener Allen Bids From Kids Auction starting on Saturday at 1 p.m. On the same day, at 11 a.m. in the IPAC Room, there will be an auctioneer class put on by Michener Allen. Children can get “cash” to bid on auction items by taking a Food Bank item to the ATB booth in Evaskevich Hall on Saturday before the auction.
The GP Safe Communities Kidz Zone will be set up outside and inside Keddie’s Korner in the TARA Centre foyer all three days of the show. There will be farm safety demonstrations for the youngsters.
Also, in the Kidz Zone, will be Trinity Body Art doing face painting all three days of the Show – for a minimal fee.
While the TARA Centre is the focal point of the show, it is one of several venues at Evergreen Park used during the Agri-Show.
Both the Drysdale Centre and Lewis Hawkes Pavilion will be hosting major events including the Northern Classic Bull Sale on Friday at 1 p.m. and the Keddie's Horse Program and Petting Zoo all three days and the Country Junction Feeds Youth Livestock events on Saturday starting at 9 a.m.
Clarkson Hall, newly-renovated thanks in part to a Canada 150 grant, will be where the County of Grande Prairie Farm Family of the Year is celebrated on Friday with a banquet for about 500. The County Farm Family Luncheon will be taking place in the Kin Club Room in the TARA Centre on the same day.
Evergreen Park Kids Zone - our indoor playground that features bouncy castles and a tot play area - will be open during the Show. It is located in Gordon Badger Stadium at JDA Raceway.
The Wanham Plowing Match Thunder In The Park II Skijoring winds things up. Skijoring features skiers and snowboards being pulled behind horses, over jumps and around a race circuit. It starts at 6:30 p.m. under the lights at JDA Raceway and there is no admission charge.
There will be hot and cold drinks and food available at a concession at Gordon Badger Stadium during the races.
Adults who would like a bite, beer and a bet can visit the Evergreen Park Casino during the Show. It is open 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily. The Pines Family Restaurant will also be open during Show hours. It is located in the Gordon Badger Stadium, beside the casino.
“Tradition, community spirit, and the opportunity to keep abreast of new technology – these are at the heart of the appeal agricultural exhibitions have long held for Alberta’s rural communities.
“This show presents a tremendous variety of displays and exhibits, and provides information on all aspects of farming and rural life. There truly is something for everyone at the Peace Country Classic Agri-Show.”
Those words were spoken by Alberta’s Minister of Agriculture LeRoy Fjordbotten just before the first Agri-Show in 1986. They still apply today as we are about to celebrate the 35th Agri-Show at Evergreen Park.
Whether you are a farmer looking to talk to manufacturers and distributors; want to sit in on a seminar to learn more about some aspect of the agricultural industry; or are an urban family looking to experience a taste of rural life the Agri-Show is the place to be.
