Mackenzie Frontier Tourist Association Member Feature: La Crete Ag Society
“The La Crete Agricultural Society has a board of 21 directors and within the board are 11 committees to oversee our five-fold mandate,” said Program Coordinator Susan Siemens. “There are many opportunities for people to get involved by volunteering and attending our community events.”
Tell us about the La Crete Ag Society.
We preserve and interpret the local history and the history of the people who made this region their home through the management of the La Crete Mennonite Heritage Village.
We’re located 3 km south-west of the hamlet of La Crete. The village is open to the public for tours from May 1 to September 30, Monday to Friday from 8am to 4:30pm. If you wish to visit us after hours, please make an appointment by calling 780-928-4447.
We also have the year-round Mennonite History Interpretive Gallery to create understanding about the history of the local people, and our museum Heritage Restoration Shop holds boundless opportunities for volunteers to get involved.
We also manage our local community hall, the La Crete Heritage Centre. It has three halls and a meeting room to meet community needs.
Tell us about some of the Ag Society’s events and programs.
We enhance quality of life through the organization of eight annual community events.
The Fall Fair Bench Show will be open to the public on August 22 from 1pm to 5pm at the La Crete Heritage Centre. Fall Fair booklets are available at La Crete Co-op and Super J.
We encourage you to bring in your entries (artwork, quilts, canning, fruits, vegetables, photos, etc.) a day or two day in advance. We love to see all the skill development that happens locally.
Pioneer Day is coming up on September 5. A $5 admission fee gets you in on a pancake breakfast (from 8am to 9:30am, ages 6 and under are free), followed by an antique parade. The community is invited to participate by bringing their classic vehicles and antique tractors. The rest of the day consists of cultural foods, music and demonstrations such as spinning, baking brick-oven bread, sawmill, binding, threshing and more.
It takes 100+ volunteers to make this event happen, so if you’re interested in being part of the day, please call 780-928-4447.
How does the Ag Society support the community?
We support agricultural and horticultural initiatives by hosting agricultural meetings, managing an experimental seven-acre orchard (raspberry u-pick starting soon), 33 community garden plots and the La Crete Farmers’ Market (Thursdays from 11am to 3pm). Come check it out!
We also support youth and leadership development by training summer students, staff and our board.
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