The North Thompson Fall Fair and Rodeo (NTFFR) is celebrating 75 years in the valley this year, and kicked off the Labour Day weekend with a "Come Home for the Harvest"-themed parade on Saturday, Aug. 31.
Excitement was building as the early-morning parade participants lined up with floats, vintage cars and trucks, decorated horse-drawn wagons, ATVs and carts, and a number of emergency services vehicles using all their bells, whistles and sirens to announce the arrival of the parade.
Kids lined both sides of Barriere Town Road, ready to scoop up the candy treats being thrown by parade participants amidst cheers and waves. One young boy, Atticus McLellan, was clearly thrilled with "my first parade ever," yelling out "This is the best day of my whole life!" to the first responders from Barriere Fire Rescue as they threw candy towards him and his brother Theodore.
His parents, Samantha and Matthew McLellan, laughed as they spoke with Black Press.
"We just moved to Barriere and we love it here," said Samantha. "We are so happy to be in such a great area."
People cheered as the parade passed by on its way to the Fall Fair grounds for the opening ceremonies. The three newly-crowned North Thompson Fall Fair Ambassadors — Jayde Nickel, Alexis Amos and Morgan Wohlgemuth — were joined on a large float by a number of previous ambassadors and royalty from the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s for the 75th anniversary of the parade. The majority of those riding the ambassador float wore their original sashes, saved with pride for just such an occasion. Some no longer live in the valley, but travelled back to take part in the weekend events.
The Kamloops Rube Band and the Shriners' Keystone Kops entertained the crowd with music and antics, while Uncle Chris the Clown rode his new electric scooter, stopping along the route to visit and joke with kids and adults alike.
The official opening ceremony took place following the conclusion of the parade in the NTFF & R Rodeo arena, followed by the exciting start of the B.C. Rodeo Association's "Polaris Championship" Rodeo Finals that run for the three days of the fair.
The North Thompson Fall Fair is a highly anticipated event throughout the valley, with exhibitions, multiple specialty food concessions, charity raffles, 50/50 draws, stage performances, and judging for sheep, goats, rabbits/cavy and beef, as well as equine events like light and heavy horse pulling. A popular event is the lawn tractor racing, which takes place every day during the fair.
The cowboy concert, with country performers Jack Jackson and Butch Falk, took place on Sunday evening from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Fall Fair Hall, with tickets available on site.
The final day of the fair kicked off at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 2 with the Family Parade, which starts at Barriere Secondary School. There were many places for the kids to play, new attractions, vendors to explore, ongoing bingo, and exhibits to view. Visit https://www.fallfair-rodeo.com/ for more information.
