All you needed for proof was the constant stream of trips back to their office to pick up more and more chili as the day went on.
“We made enough chili for at least 500 people and I know they’re running like crazy back and forth, so it’s going good that way,” said event organizer Suzanne Ramage. “In the past it’s ranged from 1,500 people on a really nice day and when it was cold it was 100 people, so we’ve definitely been steady and it’s great to see people coming out.”
The chili station was one of the more popular stops for patrons, with folks making a monetary donation and receiving a cup of the delicious beef and bean concoction.
There was plenty of other stuff to see and do on the day as well, ranging from photo stations to a ping pong ball cup game and of course the park itself. The Farmer’s Market portion featured a host of fresh vegetables and other items up for sale, and then there was Derf the Clown, a regular at the annual event and easily one of the most popular with younger visitors.
“I can’t believe how much the kids love him,” Ramage said with a huge grin. “He's great. When he showed up he said ‘watch, when I pull out my balloons all the kids are going to flock over here’. And they did! He just makes it that much more fun.”
While an initial estimate of visitors was hard to pin down, Ramage was pleasantly surprised given the colder weather and on-and-off rain.
“It’s great, and I think it helps that everyone knows it’s for charity and going back to Hunger in Moose Jaw,” she said. “It’s for a good cause and I think that helps bring people out even though it’s chilly.”
Many of those who came out took a moment to wander around the gardens themselves, checking out some of the last of the fall bounty still in the ground and on the stalk.
“It was a very good season, even with all that heat things grew like crazy, so it turned out really well and we’re really happy with it,” Ramage said.
