Sassy smoky street fair

By Irene van der Kloet

In 2022, the first Smoky Lake Street Fair took place in August. This year, the street fair was heldon May 18 on White Earth Street. With a slow start at 4:00 p.m. and fewer vendors than in 2022,one could have the impression that it was quieter than expected. However, that was only animpression and not a good one, for as time progressed, more people came out, and the fairbecame more lively. Vendors varied from art, knick-knacks and jewellery to clothing,decorations, and different types of food. The Senior’s Drop-In Centre sells hotdogs as afundraiser every Thursday from May through the end of August from 11:00-1:00, and for theoccasion, it was selling them at the street fair as well. “We sell on average 100 hot dogs perweek”, Vern Billy, president of the SDIC, says, “at $5.00, and that includes a pop. The fundshelp us pay for the utility bills and keep us going”. This Thursday, they far exceeded the 100 hotdogs commonly sold on a Thursday.  The H.A. Kostash Grade 11 class also sells food; theyhave chosen hamburgers, and people line up at their stall. “We raise funds for our grad in2024,” Lauryn Boykiw explains. “We had to get more hamburgers, for we already ran out once.”At that time, it was only 6:45 p.m. A group of musicians entertains the public throughout the fair,and as more people come out, it becomes a lively event where vendors do good business. TheVictoria Trail Ag Society, which is raffling off a filly, sells many tickets. The filly patiently waits bya trailer, with a buddy. Hopefully, she’ll find a good home when the draw takes place.Altogether, this street fair was again a success for Smoky Lake, which may be repeated laterthis summer.