Annual festival returns to Albion Fairgrounds July 25 and 26

For 10 years, Donna Klein has helped set up the home arts building at the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Country Fest.

She started out as a volunteer decorating the building for the annual agriculture fair and is now in charge of organizing all the exhibits. It’s a big task and preparation for the fair begins in February.

“I enjoy the people and I enjoy the work. It’s just fulfilling for me,” said Klein. “It keeps me busy and keeps me out of mischief.”

This year the home arts building will feature about 1,000 displays throughout the garden, photography, arts and crafts, and cooking sections.

The theme is lazy days of summer and there will be a lot of beach wear on display.

The festival is celebrating its 109th birthday this year and is being held in conjunction with the B.C. Disability Games.

There will be musical entertainment, food vendors, a midway, barn animals and 4H competitions.

Big Night Out Band will perform on the main stage, as will Bobby Bruce, known better as Nearly Neil.

Big Night Out plays a wide variety of songs from the ’60s to present, from Gerry Lewis’ Great Balls of Fire to Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive, to ABBA’s Dancing Queen, ACDC’s You Shook Me All Night Long, Rihanna’s Umbrella, and Lady Gaga’s Poker Face.

Bruce headlines a show called Canadian A.

Luisa Marshall will also perform her Tina Turner act at the fair.

Other musical performances include Nikki Werner, Ken McCoy, Whiskey Jane, March Hare, Thunderstruck and The Knitting Club. Various dance groups will perform.

A flyball dog show, monster truck rides and a bike trials show are also part of the festival this year.

Will Clinging, The Horse Whisperer, returns.

New this year: a cutest kid contest.

“If we can send everybody away with just one more piece of information about agriculture, then we’ve done our job,” said festival organizer Lorraine Bates.

“We’re just a place that creates memories forever. People are exposed to so much in a short time.”

The Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Country Fest runs July 25, 10 a.m. to midnight, and July 26, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Albion Fairgrounds. Admission is free, but there is a parking fee.

A church service will be held at the fairgrounds on the Sunday morning. Admission is free and parking is available across the street at Wynnyk Farms for $2.

• For more information on the festival, please visit http://www.mrpmcountryfest.com.