Once again, the Hafford Summer Sizzle committee was blessed with a beautiful summer day for their fourth annual summer sizzle event. Rated as another success by many, the visitors, guests and local community members enjoyed the one-day event.
Laughter could be heard as people mingled through the street fair set up along Main Street. The street fair provided an opportunity for people to enjoy fresh spudnuts, cotton candy, hot dogs and hamburgers from vendors. Spectators could also sample delicious treats and purchase items from the large selection of wares from woodwork and home-made jewelry to crochet, sewn items and art.
A pancake breakfast kicked off the festivities early Saturday morning at the seniors' centre followed by a parade organized by Team Youth Force. Twenty-two parade entries representing local and surrounding area businesses and organizations as well as vintage vehicles and horse-drawn wagons entertained the crowd-lined streets. Children waited in anticipation for each float arrival to receive the treats thrown out to them. Bill and Steve Puto were parade announcers.
Other attractions for the day included the dunk tank, inflatable play area for children, face painting, children's author book signing and the super sizzle soapbox derby.
The soapbox derby was a well attended spectator sport. Organizers, once again, made use of Main Street's natural slope to run the derby races. There were a number of entries in the stock and super stock categories. Constructed of wood and plastic, all were designed for speed. First place in the stock class went to Ty Dubyk with a combined time of 35.21 seconds, second went to Shane Brochu with a time of 44.42 seconds and third went to Gillian Oliver with a time of 44.53 seconds. First place in the super stock class was Lane Dubyk with 52.22 seconds, second went to Jen Krsacok with 61.79 and third went to Cole Reid with 61.89 seconds.
Local musicians entertained the audience throughout the afternoon from the bandstand set up at the end of Main Street. A youth talent show was held showcasing the talents of the youth from singing and dancing to playing musical instruments and performing martial arts demonstrations.
The Lakeland Library Hafford branch was privileged to host a visit from author Larry Warwaruk. Warwaruk, of Ukrainian descent, has written a series of novels focused on young readers but enjoyed by readers of all ages. His most recent novel is currently going through the editing process and is a sequel to Andrei and the Snow Walker. Warawaruk read excerpts of his sequel to a captivated audience of 15 adults and 14 children before honouring purchasers with a book signing session. Marion Mutala and Wes Funk, also established authors, were in attendance promoting their publications.
The evening concluded with a supper, fireworks and street dance.
Hafford Summer Sizzle was originally held in celebration of the completion of the Hafford Sustainability Plan but has since taken on a life of its own. Each year the proceeds are used to purchase items for the community or enhance and beautify the living and working space of Hafford. Local community groups take the initiative to operate a venue rather than have one committee responsible for all events, which has been a huge success in spreading both the workload and money.
