by Ruth Griffiths
Since 1964, Prince Albert Winter Festival has continued in its present format with a series of outdoor events and concerts over a two-week period in February. It is said to be the longest running winter festival in western Canada.
However, there were winter festivals prior to 1964. For example, Prince Albert Historical Society archives contain a photo of the 1926 winter festival queen and her princesses taken on the river. The four young women in the photo were Miss Prince Albert Topsy Valade, Kathryn Flinn, Bertha McCarl and Florence Kraeling of Melfort. A 1927 photo depicted the winter festival dog derby winner.
For more years than I can remember, Prince Albert schools have closed for a week to accommodate the winter festival. The newly created Family Day nicely leads into the final week of the festival.
Test your knowledge of the festival with these trivia questions:
- The late Bernice Sayese, our 2002 Citizen of the Year, helped to create Voices of the North talent show in what year?
- In 2017, Prince Albert Winter Festival won a Samuel McLeod Business Award in which category?
- The 2012 WF button supported which health cause?
- Who is the title sponsor for the 2018 Prince Albert Winter Festival?
- What is a King Trapper?
ANSWERS:
- 1992
- tourism
- breast cancer research
- Canadian Tire (Major sponsors are Northern Lights Community Development Corporation and Heritage Canada)
- King Trapper contests are based on lifestyle, livelihood and survival of the trapper including wood cutting, wood splitting, canoe packing, flour packing, trap setting, tea boiling, bannock baking, moose calling, goose calling and axe throwing.
