A cabaret, a car show, kids’ activities and museum tours are some events coming to Mossbank this July as the community’s annual Old Wives Lake Festival returns after a one-year break.
This year’s festival takes place on Sunday, July 18, kicking off at 9 a.m. with a pancake breakfast. Other activities throughout the day include a non-denominational church service, a classic car Show and Shine, bouncy castles and games for kids, tours of the museum, a swimming pool, beer gardens, a farmer’s market and blacksmith demonstrations.
A pre-festival cabaret takes place on Saturday, July 17, with the doors opening at 8 p.m. Community DJ Brad Finley will spin the tunes for several hours that evening.
All these activities are tentative because of pandemic restrictions. Visit the festival’s Facebook page or the Town of Mossbank’s website for further updates.
This year’s festival was modified because of the health restrictions, but with the provincial government potentially lifting most restrictions the week before, that has allowed the event to expand, organizer Christa Fortin explained. This additional freedom is great since more people can gather without having to wear masks.
Members of the Show and Shine wanted to go ahead with their event, while the museum — which is usually heavily involved in the festival — also wanted to open its doors for tours, so it made sense to organize a one-day event with more activities, she continued.
Many residents are ready for the pandemic and its related health restrictions to be over — including having to wear masks — and can see the light at the end of the tunnel for a return to some normalcy, Fortin said.
“I think it will be a good year. Even though we can’t go full force, we have a good group, so we can push a whole bunch of activities in a short amount of time,” she remarked.
Festival organizers have some “really fun ideas” for the event in 2022, Fortin said. One idea is to bring in Live Voltage, an AC/DC tribute band from Regina. Organizers wanted to hire the band for this year but decided to postpone until next year when more activities and a great lineup of live music can be scheduled.
Another idea is to have one day of the festival focus on the town and another day focus on lake-related activities. Fortin pointed out that there is so much to see and do during the three-day event that focusing on different aspects would make it easier for visitors to see it all.
“It’s time to bring the community back together,” she added.
