This past weekend Cranbrook was abuzz with Sam Steele Days festivities. The events ran the weekend of Saturday, June 21.
Maureen Frank, from the Sam Steele Days Society, said in her opinion it was the best Sam Steele Days weekend yet.
“The parade in particular, from what I saw, was the best parade I’ve ever seen here,” Frank said.
She credited the assortment of floats, both those made in town and from out of town, which were “decked out” in decorations.
Another big thing was the live bands that “performed to their peak” on many of the floats.
“I thought they did a wonderful job and the music included in many of the floats filled it in,” she said. “Music really attracts the attendees. It makes them look and it makes them kind of dance along.”
She said the Strongman and the wiener dog races attracted huge crowds.
“The crowds that gathered for these two events were just spectacular,” she said. Frank said having the Steele’s Scouts come down added to the authenticity of what Cranbrook was celebrating.
Teams in the Sam Steele Ball Tournament skyrocketed.
“It almost doubled in teams,” she said. Her rough estimate was from 48 teams to 72.
There was an assortment of other tournaments as well, from soccer to disc golf, bocce to beach volleyball. There was also the well-attended motocross event.
“I don’t know where else in B.C. you can find all of that,” she said.
In terms of entertainment, there was plenty on offer.
“We had a very successful talent showcase,” she said. “We received many requests to play, more than we could handle.”
Next year she said the event may be on the Sunday as well, because of the tremendous interest.
Frank also wanted to mention the performance and message of the service given by Cranbrook Connect Church on Sunday, with over 300 people in attendance.
The Fraternal Order of the Eagles estimated serving pancakes to 300 people Sunday morning.
“This small group of people pulled it off so professionally,” she said.
Frank said that Young Life and Friendship Hockey helped the Sam Steele Society by facilitating carnival games for kids and the bouncy tents.
She said they also helped with recycling efforts and received the funds from that towards their fundraising efforts.
“These two groups were stunning and they did their jobs so well,” she said.
Last year there were about 400 volunteers putting in their time to make the Sam Steele Days weekend the best it could be.
“It has to be closer to 500 this year,” she said.
She said the event took the whole community to put together, including businesses and volunteers.