The annual Harvest Festival at Dickson Store Museum once again brought area residents together, and attracted people from out of town to its events and activities, Sept. 8.
With clear skies and a strong attendance, conditions were ideal for yet another day of fun and interacting with one another, said museum manager Sharon Lightbown.
“The weather co-operated and people came out and had a really, really nice time,” she said. “They were just sitting and listening to the music and chilling out.”
Live music was one of several attractions that kept visitors amused throughout the day, which began with an outdoor church service.
Keeping with Dickson’s Danish heritage, Danish food was served on site, while vendors from all over Central Alberta sold various items including flowers, honey and produce.
The occasion provided a chance for people to catch up with old friends, and meet plenty of new ones, according to Lightbown.
“The Harvest Festival just seems to be a time where people like to come and just sit and chat with neighbours or people that they haven’t seen in a long time,” she said. “It’s the end of summer. People just like to get together and enjoy one another’s company.”
As well as being attended by locals, the festival brought in plenty of new people from out of town, said Lightbown. Now in its 22nd year, it was first held when Dickson Store Museum was officially opened by Queen Margrethe II of Denmark in 1991.
Since then, it’s become an annual tradition for many people in Dickson and beyond.
“People come from all over the place, but there is a lot of community here today,” said Lightbown. “People that were here certainly had a great time.”
The festival is put on each year by Dickson Store Museum Society, which doesn’t make much money from it, admitted Lightbown.
“It’s not a fundraiser, by any means,” she said. “We do it as part of our mandate of giving back to the community.”