What a year it’s been! As the Victoria Trail Agricultural Society (VTAS) continued to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, we worked hard to keep our facilities open, introduce new programs and connect the community.
The VTAS Indoor Arena remained open to riders throughout the year. Although some restrictions were in place, the facility was well-used by our membership.
We also kicked off the VTAS Competitive Trail Challenge, offering obstacle instruction and practice, followed by a full series of competitions. There was fantastic local and non-local participation from a combination of experienced adults and young children starting out. Thank you to Corinne Toronchuck and Melissa Olah for their enthusiasm, energy and hard work in organizing these events. We have a full calendar of events planned for next year, so stay tuned for more information!
Our outdoor skate park was available for use again this year, with skateboarding equipment provided during the warmer months and an outdoor rink in the winter.
The VTAS Fitness Centre was intermittently closed from January to June due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, once we fully reopened in June, existing members returned and we consistently welcomed new members. It was great to see the community utilizing our state-of-the-art facility! Additionally, we introduced a free Seniors Fitness Program for the first time ever, which was a big success. Read the full VTAS Fitness Centre update here.
Finally, we held a mini fair in August to bring the community together. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were unable to hold our full range of fair activities, but still had a softball tournament, sand dig for kids, Flying Bob entertainer, BBQ and horse rides. Plans for the 2022 fair are already in progress!
Thank you to Ed Hrycun for maintaining the VTAS Indoor Arena, ice-making at the outdoor skate park and general maintenance this year. Also, a huge thank you to our executive committee – Dave Harsulla, Chad Ollakka and Joan Lazowski – for leading and maintaining VTAS in 2021.
We look forward to seeing what next year brings!
