Chris Kloot, a sales rep with Sutton – Showplace Realty and a Chilliwack, B.C. city councillor, had the idea to hold the Rosedale Harvest Festival a few years ago. He launched it with the help of his wife Nella, his sister-in-law Jocelyn Kloot, and friends Jack Klaassen, Kristy Klaassen, Lisa Neels and Laura Terhaar. The fourth annual festival was held in October, celebrating autumn country style with a pancake breakfast, hay rides, a plowing match, food fair, parade and more. Agriculture has been at the heart of this community for close to 150 years.

There were more than 65 entries in the parade and at least 1,000 people were fed at the breakfast feast, which was prepared by firefighters with donated eggs, drinks, coffee, pancakes, whipping cream, blueberries and sausage.

A highlight was the 96th annual Rosedale plowing match with horse-drawn plows. There was also a mechanical bull, a petting zoo, a marshmallow roast and a kids’ zone. Local businesses joined in the fun with a market lane of more than 25 vendors.

“An involved community is a successful community, and as always we encourage our neighbours to get to know each other a little bit better,” says Kloot.