Sturgeon County residents will get a free sample of local food and Indigenous heritage this week as the County Bounty returns for the first time in two years.
The 2022 County Bounty event is this July 14 in Cardiff Park. The free event gives guests a chance to meet area farmers and vendors for an evening of food and fun.
County officials are excited to bring back this in-person event after two years of COVID-19-related cancellations, said county economic development director Tyler Westover.
This year’s event will feature food trucks, laser tag, pony rides, live music from the rockabilly group Shaguar, and other all-ages activities. Guests will also have a chance to win a free helicopter tour of the county.
New this year is an Indigenous cultural showcase and workshop meant to strengthen ties with Alexander First Nation, Westover said. Alexander’s Marcel Arcand will hold a talk and take questions on the history of Treaty 6 and Alexander First Nation, while world-renowned artist and speaker Dallas Arcand will demonstrate First Nations hoop dancing.
It is tough to say how many people will come out to the Bounty after two years, but Westover said he hopes for the usual thousand-odd guests. He advises guests to be prepared for the weather (there will be tents on site if it rains) and to carry cash for the food trucks in case of an Internet outage (a failure of the Rogers wireless network the previous week knocked out card payment systems nationwide).
County Bounty runs from 5 to 9 p.m. in Cardiff Park. Visit startinsturgeon.ca/county-bounty for details.
Farm tour
Also back this week is the Agricultural Service Board Tour, which, like County Bounty, starts and ends in Cardiff Park July 14. This all-day bus tour of Sturgeon County agri-businesses was virtual last year and cancelled in 2020, in both cases due to the COVID-19 pandemic, said county spokesperson Jackie Sargent.
Up to 150 tour guests will have breakfast at Cardiff Park July 14 before heading out to five county farm businesses, Sargent said. This year’s tour will let guests learn about grinding beans at the Faba Canada plant, shipping grain at the G3 elevator by Morinville, and herding sheep at Fazlic Farms.
Owner Shauna Bokenfohr will introduce guests to the wonders of haskap berries at Bokey Bloom Farms, where she has some 6,000 haskap plants growing on six acres.
Haskaps resemble elongated blueberries and are one of the first fruits of the season, Bokenfohr explained. They taste like a combination of blueberry, raspberry, and Saskatoon berry, and are considered a superfood, being packed with antioxidants and other nutrients.
Bokenfohr said guests will get to see her farm’s fruit processing and freezing facility and sample haskap jams and jellies with a side of ice cream.
The tour wraps up at Cardiff Park at 4 p.m., just in time for the County Bounty. Tickets are $15. Call 780-939-8349 for details.
