The Millarville Racetrack is hosting a tribute to Scotland’s favourite son next week.
A traditional Robbie Burns Supper will be held at the racetrack hall on Jan. 25 with haggis, Highland dancing, readings of Burns’ poetry and of course a wee bit of Scotch.
“I know there’s a lot of Scots in the community and I thought it would be a good way to get them out in a January evening and have some fun,” said Stephanie Quackenbush, manager of the track’s Three Point Kitchen.
She is preparing a traditional meal with haggis which is minced sheep’s heart, liver and lungs with oatmeal stuffed in a sheep’s stomach. Roast beef will also be served for people who don’t enjoy the Scottish delicacy.
However, Quackenbush said the haggis to be served next week is a milder recipe more likely to be accepted by a wider range of people.
“The haggis is very palatable… It’s more pork and oatmeal, and it has a little bit of liver in it,” she said.
Of course the haggis will have a proper entrance.
Quackenbush’s great-uncle, George Duncan, will play the bagpipes to pipe in the haggis. The Burlington Ontario resident has been playing the bagpipes for 79 years.
“He’s piped all over the world and competed, he piped in World War II,” said Quackenbush.
The event starts at 6 p.m. in the racetrack hall. Tickets are $35 for adults and $20 for children between the ages of five and 12. Tickets are available at the Millarville General Store, the Race Track office by phone at 403-612-6557 or by e-mail at [email protected].
Winter Café and Sunday brunch
The Millarville Agricultural Society is giving foothills residents a chance to get some local food over the winter.
The Three Point Kitchen is hosting a Winter Café on Fridays and a Sunday brunch every week until mid-May.
“On Fridays its homemade soups and sandwiches on homemade breads, on Sundays it’s a buffet brunch, so it’s your bacon and eggs, and French toast and pancakes,” said Quackenbush.
She said they wanted to give a place for area residents to get together and enjoy some good, home cooked food. Everything will be homemade using locally produced food for the café and brunch, with much of it coming from vendors who are at the Millarville Farmers Market.
“I was hoping it could be a good place for people in the community to gather and enjoy a good homemade meal,” said Quackenbush.
The winter café is open for lunch every Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the racetrack hall. It offers daily soup specials and a variety of sandwiches with homemade bread. Two soups are on offer at the café each week, with one being a vegetarian.
“I try to keep the vegetarian gluten free and with diabetics in mind,” said Quackenbush.
One regular offering is a Clubhouse sandwich made with fresh baked bread and turkey from Winters Turkeys, east of Okotoks. The café and brunches also offer deserts, including pies, squares and other baked goodies.
The Sunday brunch is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and features a full breakfast, including pancakes made from an organic mix made by a vender at the farmers market. Prices for the brunch are $12.
Society vice-president Rick Charlton said it’s also hoped the café and brunch will keep the race track on people’s minds and bring more people in to the facility over the winter months.
He said more than 100,000 people pass through the track’s gates for events and it’s good for the racetrack to have something to bring people in year-round.
“This is a way for the farmer, rancher or acreage crowd in our local area to come together, have a coffee, have a sandwich or soup and sit and have a chat,” said Charlton.
