MALLAIG – Mallaig’s ever-popular Haying in the 30's weekend of old-time fun will be back this summer, and president Martin Naundorf says it will be “A full go, as it always was,” before two years of COVID restrictions slammed the gate on the Heritage Day weekend celebration.
The event's main goal is to fundraise so it can help Albertans - and at times those beyond provincial borders - who are battling cancer. Funds can be used by recipients to help pay for extras, such as travelling to medical appointments, for example.
Although there has been a break in the August long weekend event taking place, Naundorf and his huge crowd of volunteers have been busy over the past two years, installing a culvert and repairing damage caused by an otter-destroyed beaver dam, building a new donation booth and turning parts of its predecessor into a dentist’s office and a root cellar in 2020, along with working on a huge kitchen expansion and setting up a pioneer grist mill obtained from Shandro village last year.
This year, as soon as the snow melts at the site, Naundorf says they will be finishing up last year’s projects, with new vanes being built for the mill and the finishing touches on the kitchen scheduled to be complete in time to welcome the visitors at the end of July.
“We’re also working on getting a machinery dealership, and who knows what else?” he says. “It’s been a long two years, and people are pretty happy that we’ll be going again.”
Any restrictions related to the pandemic that may be in place at that time, will be adhered to, the organization assures potential visitors. This year's event is schedule for July 30 and 31.
Although the Haying in the 30's site has been closed for two summers, with no in-person donations coming in, groups around the Lakeland have been hosting fundraisers to assist the non-profit with their quest to support cancer patients. Efforts such as a fundraising curling funspiel in St. Paul gave the organization a $6,000 boost, and Bonnyville Centralized High School chose Haying in the 30's as their charity of choice for a $2,500 award from Youth and Philanthropy Initiative.
In 2020, Haying in the 30's was able to assist 335 cancer patients, that number increasing to 412 in 2021, thanks to fundraisers, corporate donors and individual donations.
Haying in the 30's was established in 1999 by area resident Edgar Corbiere. In its first year, the old-time demonstration raised $3,500 for cancer patients undergoing treatment. Over the years, the site and number of demonstrations, along with historical buildings, have increased drastically, with thousands of people typically attending and contributing to the weekend event.
