Sense of family permeates the South Country Fair
ORGANIZERS EXPECT THIS YEAR’S TO BE ONE OF THE BEST
An eclectic ensemble of musical artists has touched down at the South County Fair in Fort Macleod this weekend and is taking southeastern Alberta by storm. With weather co-operating, and a stellar lineup of great musical acts, organizers are saying this year’s fair could be one of the best attended ever.
“It has been wonderful,” said the fair’s volunteer co-ordinator April Hutchinson Saturday just as local music legend John Wort Hannam took to the stage.
“The weather has been co-operative, we have a good turnout and the music has been amazing.”
Hutchinson said the wonderful music is what gets the approximately 2,500 attendees through the gates each year, but the reason fair-goers have returned consistently for the past 32 years is the family atmosphere.
“South Country Fair is like one big family,” she said. “And if you talk to any of the attendees here, they would tell you this is like coming home for them every year. It’s one big family reunion. It’s all about that sense of community spirit and being together. We all have such a great time.”
And the performers feel the exact same way, said jazz and blues performer Ndidi O, who was making her second return to the South Country Fair’s main stage.
“I would say it is just as fantastic today as it was when I first played it back in 2005 or 2006,” she stated. “It’s a really great festival in the fact it is run well. The audience really cares about music and they are really kind. It’s kind of an eclectic snapshot, and it is something you don’t expect in southern Alberta.”
The South Country Fair concludes today. Day passes are still available at the gate.
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