Club reports 'the best year they've seen'
The Drayton Valley Midway has another successful year under its belt, says Lions Club Midway Chair Dylan Fulks.
This year, the midway was in town from June 20 to 23, and for the first time in many years, the weather was nice throughout the weekend.
“Usually we have some rain, and this year we had three good days of sun,” says Fulks.
He believes that since the Lions Club started using Wild Rose Shows Inc. in 2017, this is the best year they’ve seen. The Midway is one of two major fundraisers that the Lions Club hosts throughout the year.
The official numbers aren’t in yet, but Fulks says the club raised more than $8,000 from the event.
Fulks says despite the issues that Wild Rose had in 2023, where there were mechanical failures in Stony Plain that resulted in two people being hospitalized, Drayton Valley has never had any issues with the company.
“It’s no secret,” says Fulks. “They did have an accident in Stony Plain last year before they came to us.”
After the incident, the company underwent a full audit from the Alberta Elevating Devices and Ride Safety Association. The company’s employees were also put through more training on safety and the use of the machines.
The audit was conducted before the midway came to Drayton Valley, and though the Lions Club did consider canceling the event, they ultimately went ahead with it last year.
Fulks says this year there were no hiccups.
“Everything was smooth sailing,” he says.
While the fair only comes to the community once a year, Fulks says he learned this year that Wild Rose Shows will also be down in Evansburg for the Pembina Valley Daze on July 12 and 13th.
Amanda Jeffery, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Drayton Valley and District Free Press
