It was a day spent admiring some of the beautiful properties around the Lakeland.
The MD of Bonnyville and Agricultural Services Board 2018 Rural Beautification Tour took 60 participants to six stops throughout the area on Thursday, Aug. 23.
“That’s up 20 people from last year,” explained director of agriculture and waste services Matt Janz. “Last year was our first year bringing it back after a 20-year hiatus. We’re happy about the increase.”
Organizing the event allows the hard work of property owners to get recognition for making the MD charming, and allows people to see some of the most breathtaking scenery.
“You work your whole life to make your yard beautiful, and you don’t get to show it off,” noted Janz.
Tour member Elma Herde said she thoroughly enjoyed herself, and encouraged everyone to register for next year’s event.
“This is our second time we’ve come,” she expressed. “The reason I enjoyed the tour so much is because we came to a part of the MD I don’t normally travel.”
One of the stops was the 2,000-acre Wengzynowski North View Ranch. They received the Alberta Century Farm and Ranch Award in 2010 for a century of family farming.
Participants were able to explore the museum on the property, featuring items collected on the farm over the years. It included the original homestead.
“My husband, Ron, never threw anything away,” explained Irene Wengzynowski. “We had a row of red greeneries that were chuck-full to the top, and the top of the barn had nothing. One fall, the girls said ‘let’s clean it up.’”
They eventually opened the museum and invited the public to take tours.
Wengzynowski said they love having people out to the property. Their grandson, Brett Kissel, recently held a concert in their backyard where they had 150 people camp out on the grounds.
Two additional stops along the way were the winners of the MD’s Rural Beatification Contest. Janz said there were over 30 entries this year.
“It was a hard choice to make the decision for who was to win, but all of the entries were awesome.”
The Acreage Award winner was Kristen and Kristy Mack, while Nick and Nancy Ozero won the Farmstand Acreage Award.
“The amount of work that goes into these properties is incredibly time consuming,” noted Reeve Greg Sawchuk. “For these people, it’s obviously their passion and they have to be committed for that. We have a ton of properties like this throughout the MD, and it’s really nice to focus on a few each year.”
The tour showcases the hard work of property owners, and allows people to learn about acreages they wouldn’t get a chance to see otherwise.
Properties nominated were judged by members of the MD’s Agricultural Services Board.
Board member Luc Tellier said selecting the winners was a big decision.
“There were some beautiful places out there,” he said. “We ended up picking them (based) on all kinds of things - the beauty of the yard, how hard they worked, making sure it was them that did it, and that it wasn’t hired out or something like that. It was really nice to see, there’s some really beautiful places out there and it’s awesome to showcase them.”
This year highlighted properties in Ward 3, and Coun. Mike Krywiak was happy people had the chance to see some of the hidden gems in the area.
“They haven’t had a chance to come to Ward 3,” he said. “People are really happy because some people never got this far west before, and they’re really enjoying it.”
Future tours will focus on different parts of the MD. Sawchuk said the tours organized this way because “it’s nice to be able to hit a lot of places all within a short time period.”
Other stops included Hutterite Colony, Chicken Hill Lake, and the Lakeland Agricultural Research Association Farm.
The MD encouraged everyone who enjoyed the tour to come back next year, and bring a friend.
