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Winterfest to celebrate agricultural heritage

With the bitterly cold weather this winter few people would be willing to celebrate the season, but the Okotoks Agricultural Society is trying to provide some warmth by resurrecting a long forgotten tradition.
The cutter rally, which included sleigh teams, was a popular event in Okotoks during the last century. The Okotoks Agricultural Society is trying to resurrect the event with
The cutter rally, which included sleigh teams, was a popular event in Okotoks during the last century. The Okotoks Agricultural Society is trying to resurrect the event with its Winterfest celebration March 6.

With the bitterly cold weather this winter few people would be willing to celebrate the season, but the Okotoks Agricultural Society is trying to provide some warmth by resurrecting a long forgotten tradition.

On Sunday the Okotoks Agricultural Society (OAS) in partnership with the Town of Okotoks will host Winterfest which will be a family celebration of the community’s agricultural roots.

Winterfest is a rebranding of what was originally called the cutter rallies, which was a popular annual event where local ranchers and farmers would bring their cutters or sleigh teams to Okotoks to compete in various events. At one time the cutter rally was one the biggest events of the year in the Okotoks area.

“At one time the ag society was a major part of the town and the cutter rally was a great mid-winter event,” said Jackie Miller of OAS. “People would bring their teams and compete in different contests like best dressed and fanciest rig.”

However, over the years the popularity of the cutter rally began to wane and Miller said eventually it was discontinued for a variety of reasons including, ironically, the weather.

“The weather was unpredictable,” she said. “For a few years we didn’t have any snow.”

Other reasons for the rally’s demise was the disconnect between the ag society and the town. Once the OAS moved from its original location on the east side of Okotoks where the recycling depot currently sits there was less interest from the town residents to get involved in the activities at the ag society which is now located north of Okotoks on Highway 2A.

Finally, technology played a role. Farmers and ranchers have become less reliant on horses and more reliant on machinery like ATVs and tractors meaning fewer of them have wagon teams anymore let alone know how to use them.

“Those big teams were difficult to work and people don’t have those skills anymore,” said Miller.

However, with the amount of snowfall this winter and a desire to reconnect with Okotoks Miller said the OAS decided to resurrect the cutting rally in hopes Winterfest will become a new annual celebration in the community.

“Okotoks was once a small, rural town and we want to try and recreate that atmosphere,” said Miller. “We have been looking for reasons to reconnect with our agricultural roots.”

Miller said the OAS has become too horse oriented and they want to broaden their appeal and encourage the public — especially the residents of Okotoks — to visit the facility and get involved in the ag society.

Marg Cox, community events liaison for the Town of Okotoks, said Winterfest has great potential and it was an event the Town wanted to embrace.

“Okotoks has such a vibrant agricultural history and we see this as a wonderful community event and a great partnership,” said Cox.

“The ag society was a huge part of Okotoks’ history and we want to let people know — people who are living in Okotoks — they should go and visit the ag society because it is something they will enjoy.”

Cox said the last time Okotoks hosted a cutter rally was after the 1988 Winter Olympics when several of the Soviet figure skaters were staying in Okotoks. They did a cutter rally to show the Soviet skaters a piece of Okotoks’ history.

The inaugural Winterfest will include a number of events throughout the afternoon. Besides the cutter rally there will be wagon rides, horse demonstrations, interactive displays, trick riders, fire pits, refreshments and displays from local 4-H clubs.

In addition, there will be a bison demonstration which will show how ranchers use bison to train their cow horses.

Another event planned for Winterfest is Cowboy Up which was a huge draw at last year’s Calgary Stampede. Miller described Cowboy Up as an extreme cowboy demonstration where competitors showcase they versatility of their horses. Participants will test their horses and their own horsemanship through a variety of obstacles including bridges, jumps, dragging logs and other events.

Miller said the Cowboy Up event is not only extremely popular with the audience, but also participants as their weekly clinics at OAS have a waiting list.

Finally, there will also be a historical display at Winterfest outlining not only the history of the cutter rally but the significant role the OAS played in the Okotoks community.

Kathy Coutts of the Okotoks Museum and Archives said the small display will include newspaper clippings, artifacts, medals and prize cards won at Okotoks Agricultural Society’s events; some of which date back to horse shows held in the 1890s. Back then, the society was known as the Sheep Creek Agricultural Society.

“The horse show was the event of the year,” said Coutts. “According to newspaper clippings, in the early days 500 horses would be there to show in the competitions. This was in the early part of the century when travel was not easy, so this speaks to its success to attract those kind of numbers.”

Unfortunately, Coutts said the museum does not have photographs of the early horse shows and other early ag society events, and she is hoping people will see the display and come forward to donate copies of old family photos.

Miller said they are hoping Winterfest is the beginning of a new tale and can develop into something special in the Okotoks community.

“We just want people to know (the OAS) is open to the public and we want people to come by and see what we are doing,” she said.

Winterfest will be held on Sunday, March 6 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Okotoks Agricultural Society on Highway 2A and 306th Avenue. For more information call 403-938-3256 or visit www.okotoksag.com or www.okotoks.ca

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