Final attendance numbers won’t be ready for a few more days, but the number of competitors at the 6th annual Smoke ‘n’ Spurs Festival held in Powassan over the Labour Day weekend continues to climb year to year.
The family-friendly event offers everything from horses, to horsepower.
“We had over 700 campsites this year, we had over 200 rodeo competitors, over 80 ATV mud bog competitors, and 50 truck and tractor pull competitors. That’s up over last year,” said Lea Davis, event organizer.
“We had competitors from in and out of province. They came from Spain, Australian, Brazil, the United States and Canada. They hear about us through word of mouth and our Facebook page is very popular. This year we had a lot of first-timers who already told us they plan to come back.”
The event is important for competitors who are collecting points on the circuit.
“All our events are sanctioned. The mud bogs, the pulls, and the rodeo all work towards the finals. The rodeo for instance, they work for their finals in January. They get payouts and every dollar equals so many points, and the points go towards their championship for the end of the season. So, with the Smoke ‘n’ Spurs being in September, it’s one of the final events of the year, so they want to get all the points they can.”
Hometown girl Karly Odrowski competed in barrel racing.
“It’s an amazing event. It brings a lot to Powassan. There’s a lot more people here this year. And it brings in a lot of good competition from other places, but it’s always nice to compete in your own hometown. You want to show your best for your hometown, and show them we have some good riders here. When you hear the crowd cheer it can make you a little nervous, but it also gives you a bit of an adrenaline rush,” laughed Odrowski.
Originally from Powassan, Beaujana Simpson who now lives in Flesherton, made it back to compete in ladies breakaway roping, and ladies pole bending.
“I missed my calf in the breakaway, but I ran a nice pole run,” smiled Simpson.
“I really enjoy being here, it’s great. It doesn’t matter really how you do as long as you have the support of everyone. It’s a great time regardless. The stands are almost always full here regardless of the weather. I think Powassan has the best fans.”
This is the first year attending for spectator Kelly Crawford.
“The rodeo is definitely a highlight. It’s awesome. It’s really fun. There’s so many activities and lots to see. We watched the mud bogs, and there are lots of activities for the kids. We’re camping here for the weekend. I wish we’d come before now.”
Dylan Welsh made the trip up the highway from Huntsville.
“It’s my very first time here and I’m having a great time. I’m really enjoying the rodeo. I actually got to talk to some of the riders, and they were really interesting. Hearing the crowd go crazy is fun. Everybody is really into it. I’m really happy I came just for the crowd. It’s incredible.”
A portion of the weekend’s proceeds go towards local charities.
“This year we worked with the Powassan Lions Club with garbage collection. They collected the bottles and cans and put them aside to raise money for the work they do. Once our numbers are crunched, we’ll pick four or five organizations within the town of Powassan’s range and give back to them. We also had a charity auction this weekend to raise money for an autistic boy in North Bay. It was also very successful.”
Organizers see a long and bright future for the event.
“We’re happy with the number of people coming in and the joy on their faces. It’s nice to hear the positive comments, and people noticing the improvements we’re making. We’re really pleased with the success of the event and the direction it’s going. We think it’s going to grow and remain popular,” said Davis.
