Horse racing season is officially back at Evergreen Park and the opening weekend brought plenty of crowds with a lot of positive energy in the air.
General Manager Dan Gorman says it’s great to be back.
“It was just excellent. We had great crowds and the weather was spectacular. The horsemen were excited to be back here at Evergreen Park. We had a wonderful family day on Sunday with lots of kids. All of the horse racing events are free to attend here and there’s something exciting going on every weekend.”
With the success of the opening weekend, Gorman and others are looking ahead to what will be an exciting racing season.
“I think I speak on behalf of a lot of people in the community here. The wiener dog race day on July 24th seems to be very popular. We had over 4,000 people the last time that was held,” says Gorman. “The 31st of July is our Derby Day weekend. Other events we’re excited about are Mr. Mike’s Paint the Barn Purple Race for the Cure and the Dino Derby on August 28th. Every weekend there’s something for families on top of the horse racing.”
A lot of work and preparation goes into hosting these events and Gorman is thankful for having a great team of people at the venue.
“Our team is everything and they all work very hard to create a wonderful guest experience for anyone coming here. We’re proud of the experience we can offer to people. It is truly a unique place and I encourage anyone to come out during the season,” he says.
Horse racing is also an important part of the cultural fabric in Grande Prairie.
“To have it back without restrictions means a lot. You could just see how excited people were to be out at the park,” he adds.
Races start every Saturday and Sunday at 1:15 at Evergreen Park. For a full schedule of activities during racing season, see our previous post.