WINNIPEG – More than 2,000 people at the annual Grainfest breakfast last week got a close-up and different look at Canada’s grain transportation system in action.
Teams of people who work in the grains industry stooked, tricycled, ran and canoed in a funny and fast-paced relay race.
The breakfast is one of two anchor events of the Winnipeg International Grainfest that consistently brings out enthusiastic crowds of people who work in the industry, said Bob Roehle, vice-chair of the festival.
But chair Patrick Clift said the four-year-old festival has a broader goal.
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“The whole idea is to have a festival to celebrate the importance of the industry, to have fun, but primarily to get a message out about the size and contribution to the economy of Winnipeg,” Clift said.
So, Grainfest included a parade, midway, petting zoo and display tent. But attendance was sparse.
Roehle said there weren’t many people on the street watching the parade, but added that “it gets people’s attention and stops traffic and makes people aware that there is an agricultural industry out there.”
Grainfest was also competing with Folklorama, an annual multicultural festival, as well as a Caribbean festival and a major weekend-long rock concert, Roehle noted.
Industry tours went over well, said Brian Stacey, another organizer. People had a choice of 17 tours, including farms, a Hutterite colony, bakeries and breweries. Stacey estimated that more than 400 people went on tours.
A comedy night and charity auction hosted by the Manitoba Farm Writers and Broadcasters Association were cited as other highlights of the festival.
About $2,500 was raised for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. The federal government will match the donation four times, so the bank will receive about $12,500.
