Fairy Berry Festival

Blackbird Jr and I went to the Fairy Berry festival today. I'll admit that I went along rather reluctantly, feeling very cranky and tired this morning. However, we had a really good time. The overcast weather meant that it wasn't very busy and I had forgotten how good Prairie Gardens is about having lots and lots of activities to do. There was a bale maze, u-pick gardens, the haunted house (remnants of the pumpkin festival were about), a rubber ducky run where you pumped old-fashioned water pumps to make the ducks go down little trails, gem mining (digging for shiny beads in sand), old playground equipment and lots more stuff. They also have a very large corn maze, but we stuck with the kid corn maze this visit. Everything is pretty low budget but I don't mind. The assortment of activities made up for it and anyway, I'd rather have the down-home country style.

Blackbird Jr heading off into the corn maze. The picture makes the corn look shorter, it's actually about 6 ft tall. Older kids can go into the larger maze in the dark with flashlights- fun!



This goat was very determined to eat some tree leaves.



Baby goats are stinking cute.



So are little bunnies. They had a whole petting zoo there but I think I wanted to go see the baby animals more than Jr.



A costumed dragon. I thought it was pretty neat, but Blackbird Jr was a little scared. Probably because it pretended to bite the princess' head.



The odd but fun enchanted forest. There is a mattress buried under those wood chips and I yelped when I stepped on it, even though I knew it was there from last time.







Tractor rides to the big maze. We just went for the ride.



Picking berries.



Our haul. I could eat my weight in fresh raw peas, I think I will go to a u-pick again sometime this summer and get more. In the bottom left corner are the supplies for the "craft" Blackbird Jr chose to do- putting candy on a skewer stick.



We hadn't been to this festival before but I'd definitely go again next year. The fun activities for Blackbird Jr plus the u-pick yummies for me were well worth it. Plus, where else in Alberta can you see a singing skeleton band in August?