On July 12 the first annual Church Street Fair took place. There were five wonderful choirs who performed as well as many musicians who were organized by the Heart of the City organization. Children’s programming at the rink was provided by the McCauley Community League and the KIDS organization. The University of the Philippines Alumni Association of Edmonton (UPAAE) provided food and face painting, and the churches were opened for the public to tour.

We enjoyed a wedding party at Sacred Heart Church, and many visitors were pleasantly surprised to see the bride exit the church to the strains of “Unchained Melody” provided by musicians Linda and Danielle!

The Fair was an example of the best of McCauley with the League, Heart of the City, Boyle McCauley News, KIDS, the UPAAE, McCauley Revitalization, Inn Roads Housing Co-op, Panciteria, Myros Rexall Drug Store, Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples, Pino Brothers, and most especially E4C partnering together to provide a community fair. Indeed, when the UPAAE learned that the food truck we had booked had back out at the last minute they added hot dogs to their list of food provided.

The Honourable Laurie Hawn, MP for Edmonton Centre, brought greetings on behalf of the Prime Minister. Rachel Notley, MLA Edmonton-Strathcona, brought greetings from the Province on behalf of Brian Mason. Our own inimitable Scott McKeen brought greetings from the mayor and the City of Edmonton. Janis Irwin, NDP candidate for Griesbach stopped by and stayed for quite a while that day.

Next year’s fair will be on July 11, and we are planning for it already. If you would like to be part of the planning and organizing, or if you have ideas for the fair, please contact us at (780) 668-3194 or write to us at friendsofchurchstreet@gmail.com.

Many thanks to all of our volunteers! The Board of Directors would like to thank E4C for their support and hard work. We could not have done this without you. And lastly, a special thanks to Jane Molstad for her invaluable work and support – she even delivered flowers on the day!

Speaking as the President of the Friends of Church Street Society I need to express a special thank you to the Board of Directors who came together some years ago and have seen it through to this first fair: Fr. Jim Holland (Treasurer), Shauna Forsyth (Secretary), Paula Kirman (Communications Director), and Ben Franck have been here since the beginning. Wendy Aasen was with us in the beginning, serving as Vice President and working with the League to achieve the historical designation of Church Street from the City. You all have contributed a great deal to the community and deserve honour and respect. Sadly, no one can PAY you what you are worth! Thanks again.