On the weekend of August 12, a new festival called “Hemmingfest” will be taking place at the Hemmingford recreation centre. This event will be the first summer festival in the town since the Apple Festival and Old Home Weeks of yore.
Melissa Rennie, one of the event’s organizers and a member of the Hemmingford Sports Committee, explains that the weekend will feature many familiar activities that the community will know and be excited to participate in. The Saturday will feature a market from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with DJ Ron playing music from noon until 4 p.m. There will be inflatable games, lawn games like corn hole and plastic axe throwing, and a cribbage tournament. Visitors will also be able to enjoy a meal from the food trucks.
As well throughout the day on Saturday, a raffle will be taking place with prizes like passes to Parc Safari, an AirBnB gift certificate, golfing passes, and more. Rennie adds, “We will also have a dunking tank in the afternoon, where members of both the village and township councils will be waiting to get dunked as well as other members of the committee.” That night there will be a mechanical bull to ride, and Duane Dixon will be playing music from 9 p.m. until 1 a.m.
The following morning, the Hemmingford Fire Service’s annual breakfast will take place from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. This will be followed by a parade which Rennie says will go through the village streets: “The parade will consist of firetrucks, antique cars and pick-ups, muscle cars, import cars, and floats.”
The weekend’s events will come to a close with live music, grillades, games, and food trucks at the recreation centre.
The cribbage tournament and the parade require registration in advance. The cost of the cribbage tournament is $20, and the parade is $20 per vehicle. To register, email Hemmingfordsoftball@outlook.com to reserve a spot.
For Rennie, having events like this return is a great way to become immersed in the community. “The pandemic was hard on everyone, and Hemmingford grew a lot during [that time]. The Hemmingford Sports Committee wants to create activities and events for all citizens to come out and get to know what our community has to offer, and to be involved.” Events like this also make it possible to keep community services alive and funded. “Any profits that are raised through the events that the Sports Committee has organized, we put back into our community,” she says.
She adds that the Hemmingford Sports Committee thanks “all of their sponsors and volunteers for the support that they have given to make this event a success.” The group is always looking for more volunteers, and its members would be happy to hear from anyone who would like to join the team.
