Town council has thrown its support behind a quartet of major civic events in June, including the annual Innisfail Rotary Rodeo Parade.
At its regular meeting on May 12, council agreed to approve this year's route for the June 14 parade, which will start on 51 Avenue, head north to 50 Street, then east to 50 Avenue and go south to 40 Street. The parade will then swing west past the ball diamonds and end near the historical village.
Council also gave the green light for a special permit application to the 5th Annual Dallas Yarbrough Memorial Baseball Tournament from June 6 to 8.
The event will feature six baseball teams as well as 16 co-ed slow-pitch squads with a total of 280 athletes participating. The approved application includes an outdoor beer garden that will be open on Friday evening from 7 until 11 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
For the same weekend, council also approved a special permit application for the annual Spirit of the Sticks Tournament at the Arena, which is being hosted by the Innisfail Minor Lacrosse Association. The tournament will see up to 600 players from across Alberta playing on 32 teams.
As well, the town also approved the request from the MS Society of Canada to host its two-day Johnson MS Bike Tour, which begins and ends in Red Deer on June 8. The event, beginning June 7, will run through Innisfail the following day, using the designated truck route accessed from Highway 2A at 42 Street. The application was successful in acquiring the use of the parking lot of the Innisfail Library and Learning Centre as a lunch stop location.
Event organizers are providing event signage and volunteers to man the bike route. Organizers are bringing in portable toilets, handwash stations, a lunch trailer and two MS event tents.
