The Armstrong Interior Provincial Exhibition has made a triumphant return after a two-year pandemic pause.
“So excited, I wish I could find another word I need a thesaurus,” said Heather King, I.P.E. general manager.
The theme Our Roots Run Deep was marked with an addition of a Community Corner where local businesses and the people who call the Okanagan Valley home can share their culture.
Not only are there the endless food trucks, animals on display and countless rodeo events but there are other fan favourites that have returned to the I.P.E., like the Chuck Wagon Races, Lumberjack Shows and much more.
When the sun sets, it’s a whole new world at the Armstrong I.P.E. as the midway shines bright and screams and laughter can be heard through the night.
And just next door to the midway, you can see top talent compete at the rodeo events under the stars every evening.
While the midway and the rodeo are big draws to the five-day fair, it’s the animals that are at the heart of the I.P.E. With multiple 4-H competitions, where kids can show off the livestock they have been taking care of for a year, on what’s called confirmation. That means if its legs and body are good examples of the animal.
Next to the competitions, there are barns where you can meet piglets, pygmy goats, sheep, and much more.
Saturday morning, the parade kicked off the busiest day of the fair, winding through the North Okanagan town ahead of the Pro Rodeo Tour finals that night.
Sunday, Sept. 4 the I.P.E. wraps up with another successful year under it’s belt. The 121st fair brought tens of thousands of people through the gates for everyone’s favourite end-of-summer tradition. Sunday night, the Professional Bull Riders will close out the I.P.E with a bang.