The weather cooperated for Riverboat Daze this year, which had events from July 5 to 9.
Riverboat Daze kicked off with a Gord Bamford concert on Wednesday, July 5 (see photo in the July 12 Lakeside Leader).
Activities included carnival rides (east of Hwy. 88), a parade, free pancake breakfast, a couple of markets, some musicians performing on Main St., a kids parade, food trucks and beer garden, sales at local stores, fireworks, wrestling, and more.
Riverboat Daze parade theme was ‘River Roadboat Days.’ The registration form says, “Create your best impression of a Riverboat that drives down the road! Let’s bring back the old fashion Riverboat Daze in a creative way!”
As an added bonus, film crews for CBC’s TV show Still Standing were in town and got some footage, including interviewing wrestler – Tarzan Hayes, aka. Derri Deschover.
Most of Riverboat Daze was organized by the Slave Lake and District Chamber of Commerce.
On July 8, mini golf holes were set up along Main St. Wyatt and his dad Dan Wakelin golf, while mom Melissa and sister Isabella look on.
On July 8, people had the choice of two markets. Linda Kreutzer, from Slave Lake, sells hand-made cards and jewelry in the Main Street Crafters in the Legion. The next crafters sale is September 20 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Caroline Adams, from Westlock, at the Grizz Adams Creations booth at All Seasons Market on Main Street, selling her husband’s woodworking.
Tarzan Hayes, aka. Slave Laker Derri Deschover, with a fan at River Boat Days Rumble on July 8.
The Rotary Club of Slave Lake had a cake on their float to celebrate 25 years in Slave Lake.
Slave Lake Region Tourism Society had a Beach Fest float, complete with water guns. Beach Fest will be August 12 and 13 at Devonshire Beach, with events starting at 7 a.m. both days and going throughout the day (plus evening on Saturday).
Some ladies dancing behind The Filipino Community Association of Slave Lake float.
Smith True Grit Drill Team in the Riverboat Daze parade. Horses are always a hit in the parade. Riders from the two other horse entries took the slow speed of the parade as an opportunity to chat with bystanders.
The carnival rides from West Coast Amusement are one of the highlights of Riverboat Daze. Here’s some people enjoying a rotating swing ride on July 8. The rides were in Slave Lake from July 6 to 9.
Byte Hub has puzzle competitions and other game days in downtown Slave Lake. It put its name on brightly colour paper cut like puzzle pieces. There were also dice and Scrabble letters elsewhere on the pickup.
In keeping with the parade theme, ‘River Roadboat Days’, the Slave Lake Native Friendship Centre float had a steam-powered riverboat on the side. There was also a bear on the front, teepee poles, Indigenous drummers, and lots and lots of balloons. There were Indigenous drummers walking behind, which didn’t fit in the photo.
On July 8, some musicians performed on Main St. as part of Riverboat Daze. Above, singer songwriter Brett Howse Mitchell, from Slave Lake, performed. He describes his songs as a blend of old country and folk music with modern rhythms to create a new sound. His debut album was scheduled to come out on July 14. Bottom, Lena Daniels used to live in Slave Lake. She now lives in Edmonton, but came to Slave Lake to perform at Riverboat Daze.
One of the Lesser Slave Regional Fire Service trucks in the parade. This one is just for special events, not fighting fires.
On July 8, the kids parade started promptly at 11:30 a.m. Kids rode their decorated bikes, scooters, quads, and electric cars through the All Seasons Market on Main Street.
