ROBIN BOOKER/BRANDON SUN
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Bridgid Cowan, Nina Cowan, and young Avery Cowan pose for a picture with the birdhouse they constructed for the birdhouse building competition at Hartney's Hopper Days on Saturday.
HARTNEY — Hartney Hopper Days is Amy Morrison’s favourite time of the year. The 26-year-old said she has many memories of the event from her childhood and now she is part of the Hopper Days committee that organizes the event.
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Michyla Turnbull, Kassie Jonsson, and Kristen Thomas giving the thumbs up in front of the lazer tag game at Hartney's Hopper Days on Saturday. (ROBIN BOOKER/BRANDON SUN)
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Janelle Eastman, Kyra Thomas, Karen Thomas, and Karen Eastman hide from the rain under a umbrella at their lemonade stand during Hartney's Hopper Days on Saturday. (ROBIN BOOKER/BRANDON SUN)
"It’s awesome — everyone is friendly and laid back and it’s really nice how everyone gets together to put it on," Morrison said. "It’s nice because many of the people who have moved away usually come back to Hartney for the weekend."
Debra Mullin is Hartney’s recreation director and she said the only problem the event faced was due to the precipitation. Friday’s fireworks had to be moved to Sunday night and some of the baseball games were postponed on Saturday.
"We really appreciate all the volunteers that come together and make this event possible, because it isn’t just the five of us on the committee that put it on — there’s also the moms who are working the booth right now, the horticultural society that throws their event and the people who volunteer for the pancake breakfast. The whole community gets behind it," Mullin said.
Nina Cowan was excited about the new birdhouse decorating event at Hopper Days. The Horticulture Society provided birdhouses for people and their children to decorate and then enter in a competition. There were more than 50 birdhouses entered.
"It’s a way to get some of the young children involved in horticulture. It’s new, but it’s been a big success getting them to start with their first birdhouse," Cowan said. "The birdhouses each cost a dollar — so that’s the entry fee and they get to keep the bird houses after they decorate them."
Karen Thomas was helping run Hartney Skating Club’s plan Canada pink lemonade stand with her daughter Kyra and Janelle Eastman. Ten girls from the skating club took turns running the lemonade stand throughout the weekend.
"I thought it was an interesting way for the girls to learn about people with less opportunities than they have," Karen said. "It was an eye opener because some of the girls read some of the stories on line about how girls in other parts of the world have to struggle just to survive."
Kyra Thomas, 10, said rain chased away some of their customers, but that she was still happy to try and help out other girls across the world.
"I think it’s important to do because they don’t get to go to school the way we do," Kyra said.
At Hopper days, there was a pancake breakfast, treasure hunt, slo-pitch tournament, laser tag, garage sales, a social, a beef dinner, a horticulture show, a mainstream merchant barbecue, beer gardens, live entertainment, a parade, a historical reenactments provided by Red Coats of the North West, kids carnival, inflatable bouncing structures and obstacle course.
» rbooker@brandonsun.com
Republished from the Brandon Sun print edition August 13, 2012
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