The Ashcroft Wellness Festival is back this year with a day and a half of music and events that highlight the Ashcroft Wellness Awaits You brand adopted by the Village.
The committee is planning a slightly scaled back event this summer, after evaluating what worked and what didn’t last year.
The Festival begins Saturday morning, July 19 and carries over to Sunday morning. Chilliwack’s Steve “Elvis” Elliott will be back with his popular Elvis impersonation, along with local musicians playing throughout the day. Elvis will perform Sunday morning again for the interdenominational church service, which was very well attended last year.
Wayne Little and Vicky Trill are organizing the second annual children’s TRY-athlon for the Saturday. Last year’s event had 29 children from Ashcroft and Cache Creek participate in swimming, bicycling and running, and each received a t-shirt and a medal.
Vendors won’t be actively sought this year, but if they want to attend, the group hopes to find an off-street area for them downtown so Railway Ave. won’t have to be closed.
All of the music being planned will take place in Heritage Place Park this year, instead of the two makeshift stages set up last year downtown. The Gazebo in Heritage Park is already the site of WRAPS’ summertime Music in the Park series.
Workshops and demonstrations will go ahead again this year, but planning is still in the works. The Children’s Activity Centre will be back again.
Some of the workshops may have costs associated, depending on the workshop facilitator, but the Festival is once again offering free events. This year there will be donation jars out for those who can afford to support the Festival with a donation.
The committee is made up of community volunteers, and more volunteers are needed. If you would like to take an active part in planning this year’s Wellness Festival, please call Deb at CFDC Sun Country, 453-9165 or attend the next meeting on March 13, 5:30 pm at Sun Country.