The historic RCMP Musical Ride is returning to Burford for the first time since 1996 on Sunday, August 28.
The event is being hosted by the Burford Agricultural Society (BAS) at the Burford Fairgrounds. Board and committee member Nancy Spierenburg said that the group is looking forward to welcoming the ride back into Burford.
“We are really just so excited to bring such an amazing show to our small town community,” she said. “We want people to come out to enjoy some delicious food, watch the show and make some memories.”
Spierenburg said that bringing the ride back to Burford has been years in the making.
“It was definitely a process to finally be selected,” she said. “We began applying for the ride about 8 years ago. The musical ride only visits certain provinces each year and when we first applied it wasn’t scheduled in our area for a couple years.”
The ride was working to put together a tour in the United States, which left the BAS pushed back for another year. The visit was put on hold for another two years during the COVID-19 pandemic but as soon as the RCMP gave the project the greenlight to resume in 2022, they reached out to the BAS.
“They let us know that they would not be able to make it to our fall fair due to their season being cut back, but they offered to do what they call a ‘truck show,’” she said. “The truck show is a one day event, so we’ve been working with the Barrie and Erin Agricultural Societies to collaboratively host the musical ride sharing costs and stabling requirements for the weekend. Both groups have been amazing and so helpful and we are so grateful for their guidance and continued support.”
The RCMP Musical Ride consists of 32 riders and their horses performing intricate figures and drills choreographed to music. The Musical Ride performs in up to 50 communities across Canada and they help raise thousands of dollars for local charities and non-profit organizations.
Spierenburg said that the BAS is looking forward to welcoming people from near and far to the community.
“We have already heard that people are coming from Michigan, Virginia, and all over Southwestern Ontario,” she said. “The pandemic has been so hard on everyone and we are just so excited to host an event that can and will gather people from all over the province. We have been working hard the last few years on updating our fairgrounds and are proud to showcase our property and community.”
The event has activities planned for kids, like face painting, a colouring contest and a farm hopper obstacle course. They also have a number of food options for attendees including Twisted Treats ice cream truck from Paris, Alice’s Restaurant food truck from Scotland, Toddsdogs from Woodstock and the BAS is selling pulled pork and salad from their kitchen.
Parking at the event is free. The gates open at 11:30 a.m. and the show will start at 1 p.m.
“We are excited to be joined by the Brantford Pipe and Drum Band who will open our ceremonies followed by some special guest appearances,” she said. “We will have lots of bleacher seating, accessible seating, and room for families that prefer to bring a lawn chair or a blanket to sit on the grass.”
