Humboldt BID getting ready to party in the streets
Another August is here and with it comes the Humboldt Streetfest.
This year is looking a little different, says Business Improvement District (BID) coordinator, Erin Standish, with the beer gardens and stage near Conexus instead of the railway tracks and more space for downtown businesses.
Previous set ups were challenging for businesses with the stage and fencing blocking some possible vendors.
Standish says that the BID is always looking to support the downtown businesses and redesigning Streetfest to make these businesses more accessible was part of that.
“What we’ve always thought about is how best to set up Streetfest to not impede on foot traffic for some of the store fronts for our businesses.”
This year will see an increase in both vendors and BID member vendors, says Standish, which is encouraging to see.
Included in the Streetfest fun is vendors, food booths, and sidewalk sales opening up at noon on Aug. 18 with a 5 p.m. kick off to the beer gardens, this year with the first ever Beer Mile at 5:30 p.m.
Registration is $40, which includes a t-shirt, access to the beer gardens, and four beers to be chugged, one every quarter mile.
Andy McAnally says the official Beer Mile has been popular for a number of years with two Canadians holding the record for first and second fastest official times.
McAnally suggested the idea to the BID since he has been interested in organizing one for the Humboldt area for a while.
“It’s a bit of a challenge. A lot of people can chug beers back but then you got to run a mile.”
Participants start the race by chugging a beer before running 400 metres, doing that four times before finishing the race.
While the race takes place quick enough where drunkenness is not an issue, says McAnally, but running with a stomach full of beer is not easy.
Time is important during this race since participants need to be good runners as well as good drinkers.
Standish says the interest in the Beer Mile is far exceeding their expectations and expects it to be a very fun event to watch if not participate in.
To register for the Beer Mile, visit McAnally at Causeway Natural Health or the BrandingBarn.ca to register online and participants must be over the age of 19.
Humboldt’s Colony Motors will be sponsoring this year’s Car Show which is starting at 6:30 on Aug. 18.
Car Show organizer Christopher Struck says they are really happy to be partnering with Colony on this year’s Car Show with a cash prize for the People’s Choice Favourite entry.
Struck says they are hoping for around 50 entries but do have some competition that weekend since it is also cruise weekend in Saskatoon.
August 18 will also be the only street dance night with Broken Roads and 40 Oz. Philosophy playing the stage this year starting at 7 p.m.
Standish says that the decision to have one night of street dance instead of previous year’s with performances on both the Friday and Saturday came from feedback from people saying that one night of street dance was more than enough, with many people taking in the Friday event rather than the Saturday in previous years.
In order to save the volunteers from being spread too thin, Standish says one night is more than enough.
“In order to save some volunteer energy and time and not be tearing things down in the middle of the night, we just decided to eliminate the Saturday evening but we’ve got great entertainment.”
After partying all night on Friday, everyone can come back downtown on Aug. 19 for more vendors and sales, a pancake breakfast put on by the Water Tower Committee and five more awesome bands playing the community stage during the day, including Freakin’ Awesome Country Band, Tadoma, Ida Rose Wilde, Too Soon Monsoon, and Russian dancers who are coming out from Saskatoon.
Even with the changes, Standish is very excited for the BID to offer the Streetfest, saying that it is a uniquely Humboldt event.
“It’s local. People are coming home at the end of summer and wanting to do something and see their friends. We’re anticipating great crowds again.”
Humboldt prepares for Vintage weekend
There will be plenty to do at the Humboldt Area Vintage Club on Aug. 19-20 with their annual Vintage Days.
Murray Hergott says this year will be a two day event with everyone invited to take in demonstrations of the equipment and to see the grounds of the Humboldt Vintage Club.
Saturday includes the antique truck and tractor pulls and beer gardens. Sunday kicks off with a pancake and sausage breakfast followed by the horse pulls, the 4th annual Grand Ole Opry, and the wood cutting, blacksmithing, and rope making demonstrations.
The weekend will wrap up with the much anticipated threshing demonstration.
Both days will include an elephant ear concession, raffle, kids events including petting zoo, mini steam engine, and animal display, displays in both the tea house and Berting house, and garden market, and arts and craft tables.
Especially when it comes to the threshing machines and other antique tractors, which are in working order for people to admire for the weekend, that all has to be maintained, says Hergott.
Getting enough man power to help is also a challenge since it is a challenge to keep their members active, says Hergott.
“We do have a lot of members in the club, some more active than others. You can use all sorts of talents, whether the person is a carpenter or is handy with the mechanics.”
With strong member numbers, including a lot of women, says Hergott, the club is working out pretty good.
The club maintains the historic buildings located at the club including the barns, Berting House, and Auction building.
Hergott says that repainting the barn is on the list of things that the club wants to do, which is all done by members but some of the work is easier for some members than others.
“We want to get more of the buildings in better condition than they are from an appearance stand point.”
The club is always open to new members so while taking in the Vintage Days be sure to ask any of the members about getting involved.
For more information on the tractor and truck pull, contact Craig Poncelet or Gloria Weber.
