With 75 exhibitor booths and nearly three thousand visitors, the Leduc Regional Chamber of Commerce Fortis Alberta Business Expo and Trade Fair of April 25 and 26 was once again an undeniable success!
While each booth offered unique and quality products and services, this reporter chooses to highlight news of some of these hard-working and enthusiastic local and regional business entities.
It was a busy event, set up in the Curling Club in the Leduc Recreation Centre. A large stage sponsored by The One Radio featured entertainment, cheerleader performances and the ever-popular Baby Crawl.
At the entrance, Chamber Team members and volunteers clad in bright green vests greeted visitors cheerfully, offering entries in a ballot for door prizes.
Close to the entrance, Leduc County had a large booth where the topic of the weekend was Annexation. Assisted by Leduc County Mayor and several councillors, Grant Bain, new Leduc resident and Leduc County director of Planning & Development was busy answering questions with the aid of a large County map, and offering little County goodies, such as the excellent pocket-size “Leduc County Quick Facts” booklet.
Coldwell Banker owner Bob Buttar shared that his real estate agency’s presence in the Leduc Walmart has offered his agents a rewarding synergy. The Leduc West Antique Society admins, Pam and Harvey Baker, are busy preparing for their annual Tractor Pull & Swap Meet of May 23: their 1928 Model A was quite popular with Expo guests.
A well-known Leduc seamstress and owner of Lightwear Apparel, Laura Piercey has launched “Costumagic”, a service of design, rent and customizing of wonderful costumes, which have garnered a lot of attraction to her sewing skills.
On the Main Stage, James Turner, talented guitarist and owner of Turner Guitar Studio on Main Street of Leduc performed on Saturday while Garet Wood and The Knotty Bushmen entertained on Sunday after lunch. Garet is also a new Chamber member, with his Party Beatz DJ service. Connectivity Dance, The Outlaws Cheerleaders Team and Kim & the Sonbirds of Devon all provided excellent entertainment.
The City of Leduc, displaying its many services, also promoted Arbour Day of May 9. Last year the annual event saw 215 residents planting 960 native trees and bushes! This year’s event will take place 9am-3pm at the Barclay Dog Park in the Leduc Business Park (3912-77 Avenue). No need to register. Just bring a shovel and your enthusiasm!
Leduc’s Black Gold Rodeo had two lovely ambassadors promoting their upcoming event of May 28-21st. Sisters Dana and Julie Kostyk are among the dozens of volunteers needed to run the event.
Dave MacKenzie, City of Leduc Councillor did his planned Handstand-a-thon to benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Leduc. His fitness and training have resulted in 78 seconds on his hand and $4,288 for the club.
The Baby Crawl might not be new, but the competitors were. Organized by Jenny Donnan of The Mommy Connection in Leduc, it was entered by several cute babies registered in three heats. Among the crowd, Ken Albertson and his wife, Leduc business owners and community supporters, were cheering their grandson Kam Husain, who was more interested in the red lines on the stage than competing. Brad McQue, The One Radio’s afternoon drive youthful host was a fun and engaging MC.
New UPS owner Jacob Van Vliet was an enthusiastic exhibitor, experiencing his first –and successful- trade fair participation. He enjoyed the dynamic atmosphere and meeting many residents and other business owners. The Renaissance Hotel chefs tirelessly served yummy perogies with the trimmings, while promoting their new Halo Restaurant menu and reminding us that when you dine at the Renaissance, your parking is free for 3 hours.
Susanne Ritchie provided excellent caricatures for a small fee. Terry Kreacker is a Sherwood Park resident and a Leduc Chamber member of three years. She was promoting her Norwex eco-friendly cleaning products and really likes doing business in this community. Tim Horton’s was conducting a dynamic recruitment campaign, a welcome gesture in the current economy.
DARSCH Appliance’s Darren Schultz, a strong believer in the value of tradeshows, was enthusiastically promoting his new line of vacuums, both corded and built-in, a seemingly popular addition to his appliance lines.
Once again, the Leduc Regional Chamber of Commerce Business Expo & Trade Fair has proven to be a great return on investment for all the exhibitors and rich entertainment and information for local and regional visitors. Well done, Chamber Team!