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Organizers, mayor excited to welcome Rainmaker back

The community event is the city’s signature festival, offering a midway fairground with carnival rides, nightly concerts, and the ever-popular rodeo.
2205 rainmaker 2007 midway
This year's St. Albert Rainmaker will run May 27-29, 2022. FILE PHOTO/St. Albert Gazette

You, me, and everybody … even the organizers at the St. Albert Kinsmen are finding it tough to constrain their anticipation for this year’s St. Albert Rainmaker, starting Friday, May 27.

“I'm very excited, I can't tell you. We have missed this so much. We actually love it,” said Rob Ladouceur, current club president and past festival chair, reflecting on how long it has been since the 55th annual Rainmaker was held in 2019.

“This year, we're really excited to get going after two years that we've missed.”

The community event is the city’s signature festival, offering a midway fairground with carnival rides, nightly concerts, and the ever-popular rodeo. Saturday morning will serve everyone’s favourite pancake breakfast followed by the Rainmaker Parade, all of which are great opportunities for families to come out, share each other’s company, and enjoy the best of what the city has to offer.

Mayor Cathy Heron remembers her childhood experiences of the parade as some of her family's most treasured memories.

"As a young child, my parents would head out with my sister and I to downtown St. Albert for a coveted front-row seat to watch the floats go by, scrambling for the candy being offered from participants," she began. 

"You would see school friends, neighbours, and family lining the streets. For that younger version of me, the rodeo and parade [were] a party, a celebration of the summer to come, and now I have come to recognize and appreciate the community-building and connectedness that a parade and rodeo brings to our city."

She still loves the parade and a walk through the Rainmaker fairgrounds with the bright lights, fair food, and the "always exciting concert series." The Rainmaker, she said, is a big part of St. Albert's heritage, and one that continues to thrive. 

Speaking of families, there are lots of entertainment options for attendees with kids in tow. The wobbly balls are back. Dr. Von Houligan will make a solid return appearance after the 2019 Rainmaker, but he’s bringing a bigger tent this time. The word is that he has a fantastic magical act, but you can find that out for yourselves.

The older kids get to enjoy the concerts with Rock Night on Friday evening and Country Night on Saturday. The traditional rodeo events will take place throughout the weekend, too. The beer garden will be available and the RCMP will be present in the evenings to make sure everyone stays happy and safe.

“We’re super excited about having that come back again. I know that a lot of people have really missed that. Those grandstands are usually packed. We generally see 10,000 to 15,000 come down. If it's a really nice weekend, we may see a little bit higher numbers than that,” said Ladouceur.

It isn’t called the Rainmaker for nothing, so he reminded everyone that it runs regardless of the weather. Just be thankful if the only precipitation is liquid.

“Even if there's some rain or whatever people can come on out and enjoy it because we're hoping — crossing our fingers — for really good weather,” he said.

As for other security precautions, there will be lots of hand-wash and sanitizing stations for people to use, and while masks are not mandatory, organizers have pledged to follow provincial and municipal regulations. Also, there will be a park and ride to make it easier for people to get to and from the event site.

Heron said she is thrilled the two-year wait is over and people can come back together to celebrate our city's heritage and our vibrant community spirit.

"We as a community have missed the connectivity of this annual event and I encourage our residents to ‘come on down for some rootin’ tootin' fun!’"


Scott Hayes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

About the Author: Scott Hayes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Ecology and Environment Reporter at the Fitzhugh Newspaper since July 2022 under Local Journalism Initiative funding provided by News Media Canada.
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