Taber Cornfest returns amid surge in COVID-19 cases
It’s been a long two-year wait for the residents of Taber.
After being cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cornfest makes it’s long awaited return this weekend.
This will be the 36th time the largest free outdoor festival in southern Alberta will be held.
Co-chair of Cornfest Rick Popydnetz is just one of the many people excited for the festival’s return.
"The town's buzzing with excitement. We've got the parade happening today, we've got stage entertainment, we've got the car show on Saturday. We've even got Pure Power Wrestling showing up Saturday night. We’ve got some really great events happening around Taber.”
Cornfest features everything from a midway, live music, bull riding and of course there will be plenty of Taber corn.
While the event promises excitement for a town that’s seen few live events over the last year and a half, the threat of COVID-19 still looms large.
Alberta has seen active case numbers rise steadily for the last few weeks.
Just yesterday the province saw more than 1,000 new infections added – that’s the most since May.
Right now, Taber doesn’t have very many active COVID cases, only having recorded 33 by the end of day Aug. 25.
But recent events like the Calgary Stampede and the Medicine Hat Stampede saw a number of new infections on their grounds.
Popydnetz knows that some are concerned, but believes he and his team are taking the necessary measures.
"Every day we have an emergency operations meeting, so every morning at 8:30 we have a meeting with Alberta Health Services and our team so we're rarin' to go, so we've got all the restrictions figured out and we're going to move forward and have a great successful event."
While there may be worries the event promises to be a boost to local vendors.
One group in particular that stands to benefit the most from Cornfest will be local musicians.
"There's lots of bands that we use that are strictly from Calgary-South. We don't go any further than Lethbridge and Taber basically. So most all of the bands play here locally and we like it that way," said Mark Garner, the Cornfest stage entertainment manager.
The waiting game is over now as Sneak-a-peek Midway night begins this evening before the festival gets started for real tomorrow.
For more information on the 2021 Cornfest and its events you can visit the Taber Chamber of Commerce website.
(With files from Sean Marks)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
Prince William and wife Kate thank public for birthday messages for son Louis
Prince William and his wife Kate thanked the public for their messages which had been sent to mark the sixth birthday of their youngest son Louis on Tuesday.
She was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father. Then life dealt her a blow
Anne Marie Cavner was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father, but then life dealt her a blow. From an unexpected loss to a host of new relationships, a DNA test changed her life, and she doesn't regret a thing.
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
'Catch-and-kill' strategy to be a focus as testimony resumes in Trump hush money case
A veteran tabloid publisher was expected to return to the witness stand Tuesday in Donald Trump's historic hush money trial.
Quebec farmers have been protesting since December. Is anyone listening?
Upset about high interest rates, growing paperwork and heavy regulatory burdens, protesting farmers have become a familiar sight across Quebec since December.
South Korean sentenced to 14 months in jail for killing 76 cats
South Korean man has been sentenced to 14 months in prison for killing 76 cats in one of the country's most gruesome cases of animal cruelty in recent years.