Canada 150 is the theme for this years Country Fest.
Planet Ice is going to be transformed into a Canada 150 Village. There will be a stage at the far end of Cam Neely arena and feature 16 multicultural performances throughout the weekend.
Surrounding the rink will be various artisan groups doing hands-on activities.
There will be weaving, spinning, rug hooking, needle craft, lapidary and painting demonstrations.
Throughout the Canada 150 Village will be 150 facts about agriculture, nation-wide, provincially and locally. Visitors will have fun finding the answers to 10 of those facts to be entered in a draw for prizes, including a $300 golf package from Golden Eagle Golf Course, gift certificates to local restaurants and Canadian teddy bears.
The theme for the 4H clubs is going to be Home and Native Land.
There are 43 clubs taking part in the event this year up from 39 clubs last year including 30 dairy clubs alone.
This means that space is tight on the fairgrounds.
Lorraine Bates, manager of the free event, is working hard to find space for everybody.
The main stage in the middle of the fairgrounds will feature artists doing tributes to Canadian artists and on Sunday will be Canadian country music artists.
New this year for children will be geocaching. Participants use global positioning system to find containers concealed around the fairgrounds.
In the lobby of the Golden Ears Winter Club will be an area reserved for Magic: The Gathering, a card game geared towards teenagers.
Players are called Planeswalkers that are armed with a deck of cards representing lands, creatures and spells. Participants summon creatures and cast spells trying to knock their opponent down from 20 to 0 to win the game.
On Saturday there will also be rabbitt agility demonstrations by a club from Vancouver.
There will also be roving children’s perfomers including Ziggy the Balloonist, Gretta the Clown, Ben La Barouette, Carnival Band and Conrad Flapps.
Last year, 19,000 people visited Country Fest.
The Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Agricultural Association was formed on June 15, 1901 to promote and educate the public about the importance of agriculture in our daily lives.
Performers on the Canada 150 stage:
• Chiamaka Okere;
• Coastal Edge Dance;
• Forras Hungarian Folk Ensemble;
• The Paul-Tavai Latta Polynesian Dancers and Co.;
• Chibi Taiko;
• Shimmy for the Soul;
• Tropical Heat;
• Rumba Calzada;
• Karen Flamenco;
• Maple Sugar Metis Jiggers;
• Stave Falls Scottish Dancers;
• Rio Samaya Band;
• Asi Somos;
• Royal Academy of Bhangra;
• VOC Sweet Soul Gospel Choir;
• Vancouver Morris Men;
Performers on the Canadian Heritage Stage:
• Variety D’Arts, that will include artists Sarah Klodt, Billannanee, Julian Burns, Braidwood, Bob Cockroft and Band for Good wth Chris Horne;
• Giggle Dam Band;
• Cod Gone Wild;
• Joe Fernandes Band;
• Canadian A with Bobbie Bruce;
• Gabby’s Girls;
• Cassie Jean;
• Victor Cronley;
• Willy Blizzard;
• Patsy Thompson;
• Amberola.