UPDATE #8: The Day of Mourning ceremony on April 28th has been cancelled. The 6th Annual MS Society Fashion Show has been postponed until November 7th. The Grande Prairie & District Chamber of Commerce has also postponed all events, ribbon cuttings and milestone visits until the end of April.
UPDATE #7: The 33rd Annual Fiddlers’ Jamboree slated for April 19th has been cancelled. The same goes for the Easter Eggstravaganza planned for April 11th in Muskoseepi Park.
UPDATE #6: Open Hears for Open Doors in support of the Saint Lawrence Centre has been postponed until a future date. Slush Cup at Nitehawk Year-Round Adventure Park has been cancelled due to the ski hill’s closure. The Spring Spectacular Swap Meet and Car Show 2020 has also been cancelled.
UPDATE #5: The Leaders of Tomorrow and Volunteer Appreciation Event for National Volunteer Week has been postponed by the Grande Prairie Volunteer Services Bureau, to be held at a later date. Its Wired 2 Hire general workshops have also been cancelled. Women 4 Women plans to reschedule its experts panel scheduled for March 17th.
All leagues at the Sexsmith Curling Club have been postponed until further notice and the bonspiel at the end of March has been cancelled.
UPDATE #4: The Spring Fling in support of the Veterans Memorial Park has been postponed until May 30th. Northreach Society says it is postponing ticket sales for its Drags and Bags event as it waits to see how things unfold. The Vitaemo Festival put on by the Troyanda Society has also been cancelled.
UPDATE #3: The 2020 Peace Country Ringette Friendship Tournament has been postponed until further notice. Skills Canada Alberta has also cancelled all of its programming for this spring, including the upcoming Regional Skills Canada Competitions.
The Saskatoon Lake Ag Society’s Spring Fling planned for the community hall has also been cancelled, with donations collected to go towards a future event. The Grande Prairie Rock N’ Gem show has tentatively been rescheduled for May 13th to 17 at a new venue, the Jackpot Grill.
UPDATE #2: The City of Grande Prairie has confirmed several upcoming shows at Revolution Place have been postponed. They include Gord Bamford, the “Tales from the Penalty Box” Grande Prairie Storm Fundraiser, Rodney Carrington, Northern Rhythm Music Festival, and Baby Shark.
The City’s International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination event on March 21st has also been cancelled, along with the Senior Bowl for graduating Grade 12 high school football players.
Tiny Hands of Hope has now postponed its Illuminate the Night gala to a future date, which is also the situation for the Wolverines Wheelchair Basketball event, slated for the Eastlink Centre. Big Brothers Big Sisters Grande Prairie & Area has also cancelled its Curl for Kids fundraiser.
UPDATE: Grande Prairie Regional College has cancelled its Fairview Campus convocation, President’s Awards Luncheon, and Student Business Conference, as well as some Wolves Athletics events, while the County of Grande Prairie has cancelled the Farm Family Banquet. The Teepee Creek PBR Classic set for March 21st has also been cancelled, with tickets being refunded.
Still going ahead are the Spring Fling in support of the Veterans Memorial Park on March 21st, and the Bear Creek Folk Festival Song Contest finals will continue Friday, although with reduced tickets available. Game six of the Grande Prairie Athletics’ playoff series, meanwhile, has been postponed, while the remainder of the North West Junior Hockey League season has been cancelled.
The 19th annual Highway to Mexico has been postponed until September.
Concerns about the spread of COVID-19 have prompted the postponement or cancellations of several events in the Peace Country. The provincial government has asked for all public events involving more than 250 people to be cancelled as a measure to manage the coronavirus outbreak.
The final two days of the Peace Country Classic Agri-Show at Evergreen Park have been cancelled. At the end of its first day Thursday, organizers said they felt obligated to honour the province’s request.
“The park agrees steps like this are necessary to contain this terrible virus,” says Evergreen Park General Manager Dan Gorman. “We are grateful of the support and understanding of the show exhibitors, sponsors, and the general public.”
The Rotary Clubs of Grande Prairie have followed suit, cancelling the Rotary Day planned for Saturday at D-Coy Armouries. Meanwhile, the Lip Sync Battle scheduled for Saturday night has been postponed by the Grande Prairie & District Grief Support Association until June 19th.
“Due to growing concerns of large gatherings during the COVID-19 outbreak we have made the difficult decision to postpone our event,” it says, noting refunds are available for ticket holders unable to make the new date.
The Mommylicious market slated for Sunday has also been postponed, with no new date decided yet. Also postponed is the Alberta Food and Beverage Expo, originally slated for March 21st. It will be moved to June 13th.
“We apologize for the inconvenience and hope you will join us on the new dates,” its organizers say.
The Arctic Winter Games set to start Sunday were cancelled on March 8th, affecting local athletes from Team Alberta North. All Grande Prairie Minor Hockey, Grande Peace Athletic Club, and Peace Country Female Athletic Club games and practices have also been cancelled, effective March 13th.
At the same time, the Illuminate the Night fundraising gala will go as planned Saturday, with extra safety measures. Tiny Hands of Hope says those include being served cafeteria-style, no handling of POS devices, and a virtual silent auction.
“To protect yourself and others, we ask that anyone who is feeling unwell refrain from attending so that together we can ensure a safe and comfortable experience for everyone,” they add.
A decision has not yet been made as to whether game six of the North Peace Hockey League playoff series between the Grande Prairie Athletics and Dawson Creek at the Coca Cola Centre is a go.