Huck Fest a success

MLA Evan Berger had a berry good time.
C. Davis photo

Chris Davis

The 2011 Castle Mountain Huckleberry Festival was a complete success.  Attendance was estimated to be over 1000 people.  Live entertainment was provided by Kiki the Eco Elf, Tanya Lipscomb, Patrick Sean Earl and Wade Saliba, and myself, finishing with a wrap up blowout by Calgary-based blues band Texas Flood. Lipscomb has an amazing voice, with a bouncy irreverent style and several CD's of original music well worth hearing.  Earl and Saliba strolled through folk, rock and celtic classics with finesse.  Earl has a deep and mature voice and robust acoustic guitar chops, and Saliba was truly astounding on the electric guitar, whether backing Earl, sitting in with Lipscomb, or showcasing his talents solo with backing tracks.  Speaking for myself, I had a terrific time.  The audience was very kind.  The huckleberries were plentiful, if a bit smaller than usual due to our dry summer.

The roast  pig and beef dinner was delicious and plentiful.  The snowcones for sale outside the T-Bar,  with a little extra enhancement for the adults who bought them, were a big hit on a day that saw temperatures soar to the high 20's.

Reeve Rod Cyr and Macleod MP Ted Menzies sup at Huck Fest
Photo courtesy of  Bjorn Berg

Tiger oh my!
C. Davis photo

This was a perfect family event.  Kids played with hula-hoops, picked berries, thrashed around in the big bouncy castle, played soccer, had their faces painted by the Eco Elf before joining her in a singalong dance party.  School starts soon, so for many this was the last family outing of the summer. Original music and classic favourites kept toes tapping and faces grinning.  Castle Mountain's staff was kept hopping throughout, with the T-Bar doing a brisk business, and a steady supply of hamburgers, pizzas, and drinks being served to the ravenous crowd.
Crafts and baking were on sale, and for some vendors business was quite brisk.
Livingstone-Macleod MLA Evan Berger spent a fair bit of time on the mountain, filling his bucket.  "He made us walk all the way down the mountain so he wouldn't miss any," explained his wife Laurie.  Other local dignitaries spotted in the crowd included Deputy Reeve Bjorn Berg and Councilor Sahra Nodge,  MD of Pincher Creek Reeve Rod Cyr and Councilor Helen Cyr.  Macleod MP Ted Menzies was in Yukon that morning, and flew down and drove out to the festival for supper.

The management and staff of Castle Mountain are to be congratulated for pulling off such a fantastic event.

Castle Mountain is scheduled to reopen for skiing, cat-skiing,  and snowboarding in December. The state of the snowpack will dictate the exact opening date.  Last year they opened early, on December 3, due to excellent snow conditions.

Visit www.skicastle.ca for more information about southern Alberta's premier ski resort.