1913 Days will be happening at Sylvan Lake this weekend but it’s going to be looking a little different than years in the past. The event is the town’s annual celebration and Sylvan Lake was founded in 1913. This week’s events will be held from Friday, June 18th to the 20th.

“1913 days this year is a bit of a softer version than we have had in years past. That's just in respect of, public health measures and those evolving restrictions. We are going to activate a few classic events such as the horse and carriage rides in the Canadian Tire Drive-in Movie. Those are kind of some staple features of 1913 days that the community really loves, so we're excited to bring those back in a safe capacity,” said Piper McArthur, Special Events Coordinator for the Town of Sylvan Lake. 

In order to participate in the carriage rides or the drive-in theatre you must purchase tickets here. 

However, there are a couple other new and exciting events that may be worth checking out. 

“This year we're doing a virtual yard sale map. We're coordinating a map that residents are able to basically sign up for, if they want to host a yard sale this year for 1913 days. We will unveil that map on Friday… We've got a Mystery Town scavenger Hunt Experience, which is a virtual experience and it's free to attend. We've got some of our local businesses who are putting on some initiatives and micro-events as well,” explained McArthur. 

You can check out a full schedule of Sylvan Lake’s events by clicking this link. 

Additionally, the Town is also hoping to encourage Central Albertans to support local businesses with an exciting contest which may be a great option to find the perfect gift for Father’s Day. 

“The downtown sidewalk sale and Win-Your-Purchase contest is new this year and we're really just inviting businesses to you know, help us relive the good old days and activate their storefronts for the weekend and just drive some support into those small businesses around Sylvan Lake…Basically, if you purchase anything within the 1913 Days weekend, you're able to submit your purchase online to visit Sylvan Lake just through a DM (direct message) and win up to $100 back from your purchase. Our hope is that it drives some drives some economic positivity and that our businesses feel the love,” explained McArthur.

To participate in Win-Your-Purchase you can submit a clear photo of your receipt by direct messaging Sylvan Lake Instagram or Facebook or by emailing a photo of the receipt to recreation@sylvanlake.ca. 

Although this year’s events are slightly toned down, McArthur is very excited to bring the community together once again. 

“We're hoping that this is the beginning of inviting people back and slowly introducing our signature events back into the year. We're just thrilled to put something together working closely with Alberta Health Services and just be able to celebrate our community,” she added.