Billy Barker Days has come to an end. The gold nugget draws were held, the fair has shut down and Reid street is reopened.
Sunday marked Indigenous Peoples Day at the rodeo with organizers wearing orange and chiefs of Lhtako Dene Nation and Nazko First Nation speaking before the rodeo began.
The events included wild cow milking, tie-down roping, steer wresting and many other events. This will be the last year C+ Rodeo provides the animals for Billy Barker Days' rodeo as brother Earl and Roy Call are retiring after 40 years in the business.
"We're going to keep a bunch of cows, we're going to keep our ranch and so we'll still be ranchers but we won't have to be at a rodeo every day at one in the afternoon," Roy said. "After 40 years we've enjoyed it but it's time to do something a little less strenuous."
The brothers said the COVID-19 pandemic gave them a glimpse at what a less-demanding life would be like and after experiencing that they were ready to retire.
"We won't mind going back to cattle that don't chase you every day," Roy said.
One of the highlights of the rodeo was Jayson Charters, the rodeo clown. Charters has been doing the job for 15 years and said he loves to get the crowd engaged and involved with the rodeo.
"The family aspect of it and the kids, stuff like that. That's where it hits me hard right there," Charters said and covered his heart. "There's two passions I like. I love rodeo and I love people."
Charters said he has the perfect job for those passions. Part of his act includes getting the crowd to sing, filling dead spaces while events are being prepared and things like levitation acts. He said the adrenaline from getting hit by a bull while in a barrel is another exciting aspect of the job.
At LeBourdais Park the teddy bear clinic was held where children could bring their stuffed animals to a doctor, pharmacist, dentist and other medical professionals to get them accustomed to seeing health care workers and reduce any fears they may have.
Cindy Tousignant is vice-president of the Billy Barker Days Society and organized the teddy bear clinic. She said while it was slower than past years because of the heat, there was a good turnout and children built a sense of comfort with the health care workers in the community.
Billy Buttons were sold out by the last day of the event and the gold nugget draw saw three people win the big prizes of a $1000, $500 and $300 gold nugget.
The festival concluded with a drone show which lit up the sky above West Fraser Timber Park.
"We used to do fireworks but over the years with the fires and that it is not possible. We did the laser show for a few years but the drone show is new," Tousignant said.
Drones wrote out "Quesnel" and depicted things like a person on a bike, dandelions being blown and all sorts of things to give people a night time show that is safer for the environment than fireworks.
