Head To Gilbert Plains For A Fun Weekend

The annual Gilbert Plains - Grandview Ag Society fair and rodeo starts today in Gilbert Plains.

Gate prices are pretty cheap. For adults it costs just $10 for Friday, $15 for Saturday, and $10 for Sunday. For kids age 6-17, it only costs $7 per day. The best option is a weekend pass for $25 for adults or $15 for kids, so you can enjoy a variety of events for the whole family.

Kevin Boese, the President of the ag society, says the town is ready to go.

"Everybody I noticed, the last couple of days, is out mowing their grass and everybody's getting ready for the weekend and getting the town looking beautiful. It's always an exciting weekend for everyone in Gilbert Plains, the town is really buzzing."

First up is the parade which takes place at 3 this afternoon. Then the chucks & chariots start at 7. On Saturday they start at 3:30 and Sunday they get underway at 1. There will also be a couple of bonus chuckwagon races this year. The three fastest teams will compete in a "dash for cash" and three random teams will be chosen as part of a mystery race for some extra cash.

You may have also noticed that there will be chucks & chariots on all three days of the fair and rodeo this time around. Boese says he was chatting earlier with someone from the Manitoba Professional Chuckwagon & Chariot Association (MPCCA) who thinks there could be 20 to 24 chuckwagons registered for the weekend.

Rodeo events will take place on Saturday and Sunday.

There will also be lots of activities for the kids, including a bubble party following today's parade. This is something that Boese says is new for the fair & rodeo this year and has been a big hit when other towns have done it. The festivities will also include a Kids Zone during the day that will have bouncy castles, as well as a petting zoo and face painting all through the weekend.

"There's something going on for everybody, if you don't like the cattle and the horses part of it, you can go into the rink and see some beautiful old cars. There's some very nice cars coming from Ethelbert that are going to be there", said Boese.

Also at the rink will be the trade and craft show on Saturday.

Another one of the many events to take place includes the Light Horse Show, which is NAERIC (North American Equine Ranching Information Council) approved, so get ready to see some fine horses doing their thing all throughout the weekend.

To host an event like this, it requires lots of hard work from volunteers as well as community sponsorship, which there has been a lot of.

"The group of volunteers that show up every year are second to none, just a huge shoutout and thanks to all the volunteers", Boese says.

Boese added that the Parkland has stepped up big time in terms of sponsorship and that they can't thank their sponsors enough.

Overall, it's sure to be another great weekend at the Gilbert Plains - Grandview Ag Society fair and rodeo so be sure to make it part of your weekend plans.