Lakedell Agricultural Society was formed in 1973 by a large group of people that were from the local farming community. The society grew to a point that they built the current main hall and smaller riding arena by logging the wood and sawing it on site. Later the larger outdoor riding arena was added.

The Lakedell Agricultural Society hosts the largest one day fair in Alberta. There are six user groups that use the facility. They include the Pigeon Lake Lions Club, 4H Light Horse, 4-H Beef Club, Playgroup, Mighty Mutts and the Gymkhana. The Society also has charitable status and can issue tax receipts for any donation over $100.00.

Rentals for the facility, has been constantly growing over the past few years. The Curling Club has given them great support over the years and their curling leagues, continues to grow.

Rick Southern became President of the Lakedell Agr. Society 3 ½ years ago and his goal is to make Lakedell a place that all of the community can come and have a recreational place that met their needs. His vision is to someday build a Recreational Center on their property to better serve the community. The board members also share his vision of becoming a hub for the areas recreational needs, and are excited to bring the society to the next level. The society is in the process of building a 30 site, full hookup, campground on the east end of the property. There is a need for this in our area and it will help to enhance their facility.

The Lakedell Agricultural Society is glad they are members of the Pigeon Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce as this increases their exposure and networking throughout the community.

If anyone is interested in becoming a member of the Lakedell Agricultural Society, the annual membership dues are only $5.00. New Board Members are welcome, if you are interested in joining the Lakedell Agr. Society, or wish to become a board member please contact the office 780-586-2505. 

Lakedell Farmers Market

Asa Yngvesson is the manager of the Lakedell Farmers Market. The Market has been operating for the past 6 years. It is held every Friday starting in May until the September long weekend. The hours of operation are from 4:30 until 7:30pm.

In 2009 there were 18 Markets and they averaged 38 tables per night. They did a head count of customers and realized that they were seeing crowds of 900 to 1000 people per night.

They are an Alberta Approved Farmers Market, which means that they follow certain criteria set out by the Alberta Government and therefore they come with a certain quality assurance for their customers. They differ from a public market in that they have a manager which has certain education and responsibilities that allow the vendors at the market to sell certain food products that otherwise would have to be made in an approved kitchen. This gives opportunities for local groups to have for example bake sales and fundraisers at the market and reach a bigger customer base than they would otherwise see. Another example is the 80/20 rule, which means that 80% of the products at their Farmers Market have to be made, baked or grown by the Vendor selling he product and only 20% can be retailed items. Farmers Markets are not supposed to be making money but is required to be either sponsored by a non-profit organization, an Ag Society or to be made up as a Cooperative. They are “merely” here as a way for small local producers to market their product and for local buyers to actually find a few of their local products and meet them eye to eye, all conveniently in one location. This is a way for our local producers to work together as a group and share costs for advertising and labor when they stand alone maybe could not afford it. This is a way for our local producers to network and meet other local producers and learn how to deal with common issues.

The Lakedell Farmers Market is known for their happy friendly fair-like atmosphere and their wish for everyone to do well: Vendors, other markets and surrounding communities. It is a place to learn that if we work together they can reach bigger goals. By shopping the “Farmers Market” you support your local producer which average about 1/3 of their income from the market. And if they do well and spend their money locally and employ local people who spend their money locally then the surrounding community will do good and it all snow balls in a good way.

The Farmers Market is also generally an environmentally friendly and healthy choice in food items since a lot of their producers choose to produce without antibiotics, without pesticides, free-range, organic or naturally or grass fed etc. Also your food travels fewer kms than if you were to buy it somewhere else and that supposedly also impacts our environment.