The start of Quesnel's 48th annual Billy Barker Days was packed with activities for all ages to enjoy.
The Gold Dust Mall was open throughout the day, as was the fair. Traffic slowed to a crawl for a portion of the day because of so many people navigating the city in vehicles and on foot.
From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Seniors' Day was held. Seniors got to enjoy music and performances catered to their age group from the comfort of tents. They enjoyed food and a few lucky people won cakes in a raffle.
Lynn Smith said she's been to the Billy Barker Days since it began and has enjoyed each and every year.
"The entertainment on stage and the Gold Dust Mall. I love the whole Gold Dust Mall," Smith said of her favourite part of the festival.
Later in the day the festival's first ever Teen Time was held where teenagers took part in activities that suited their demographic.
"We had an escape room and I think that's what people really liked. That was a pretty big hit for (the teens)," Taylor Gilkerson, the office manager of Billy Barker Days said after the first day. She said the events at LeBourdais Park were all a huge success, especially for a week night.
Crash to pass racing was held Thursday (July 18) evening. The smell of burning rubber and sound of revving engines filled the Goldpan Speedway and thousands of audience members sat on the hillside to watch the cars race and wreck each other. Several rounds of small groups of cars went before the main event, where each of the over 30 vehicles raced.
One driver, Tyler Burgess, was in a van decorated with horns and numbered 666. He's been racing in crash to pass events for over 15 years. His van flipped during his final heat before the race's main event
"I think I put on a show for the crowd and ultimately that's what we're all here for," Burgess said. He held up his crowd-pleaser trophy with pride and said he's glad he won it and could entertain the audience.
