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Millarville Racing and Agricultural Society is dedicated to building community spirit.
MRAS will be guided in all its actions by the following value statements:
Millarville Racing and Agricultural Society provides authentic family experiences and exceptional facilities which celebrate our agricultural heritage, inspiring a sense of belonging for the community.
OUR HISTORY
The Millarville Racing & Agricultural Society has been in existence for more than one hundred years, its origins older than the province of Alberta itself.
As the years and generations have come and gone, the social and economic development of both the MRAS and our surrounding community have remained intertwined through a shared history as well as programs and services built from the grassroots out.
Our non-profit Society has flourished and grown through the last century because we have always taken pride in providing programs and facilities for the young people in our community, many of whom have parents, grandparents and great-grandparents who had served faithfully as members and volunteers in earlier eras, setting an example for the next generation to follow.
We rely on more than 600 members and over 400 volunteers to ensure that tradition of giving back to the community preserves the history of the facility and its events, some of which are also more than 100 years old!
Some of our historical events include the Millarville Canada Day Races and The Priddis & Millarville Fair. Other annual events that assist in our agricultural preservation are the Millarville Farmers’ Market and the Millarville Christmas Market.
As a Society, we know we have much to do if we hope to remain relevant in our community into the next century, particularly while continuing to embrace the traditions and values of our Founders.
The facilities at MRAS have grown to become important focal points for community user groups but continue to bear the weight of more than 100,000 people who pass through our gates and use our facilities in a typical year.
We will be looking to upgrade our facilities and programming on a continual bases to meet our bold vision but will need the same spirit of commitment and cooperation we saw in the opening moments of our creation, when the newly formed Race Club leased the first land in 1905, when the Fair was formed in 1907 and when it all came together as the new MRAS with the Hall Association in 1971.
We urge you to come out and participate as a member or a volunteer or to simply have fun at our Markets and Events as we move forward into the next century.
Millarville Racing & Agricultural Society, 2024
HOW IT ALL STARTED
Introduced by the early British settlers, the
Millarville Races were the continuation of a racing tradition in England and
Ireland. The first Race Committee was
formed on 3rd June 1905, when some settlers of Millarville met to discuss the
possible organization of an event. The
land for the racetrack was granted to the Committee by Raymond DeMalherbe
rent-free for the first thirty-five years.
The first Millarville Races were held later that month, making the race
meet the oldest in Alberta.
The track lay in an east-west direction and
was simply marked out on the ground. In
I906, an inside rail was built, and an outside rail followed. In 1911, the first shed, with thirty stalls,
was constructed with a committee room at one end. The stalls were rented out for a dollar for
the duration of the meet. Later a
grandstand was built over the stalls.
During the First World War, racing was discontinued at the track in 1916
and 1917 but resumed in 1918 when the proceeds were donated to the Red Cross.
In 1940, the rent-free lease expired, and the
racetrack reverted to the landowners, but the club members were able to
purchase it outright with monies raised through a debenture sale. In 1951, pari-mutuel betting was introduced
under federal regulation and the Millarville Racetrack came to be listed in the
roster of Canada’s leading racing centres.
The Millarville Racetrack, the Racetrack Hall
Association, and the Priddis and the Millarville Agricultural Societies
amalgamated as the Millarville Racing and Agricultural Society in 1971 to
coordinate the various committees involved at the grounds. Over the years, new buildings have been added
and improvements made to the track and grounds, many through local
donations. The board consists of many
directors who volunteer their time, expertise, and community spirit to make
sure this facility continues to thrive.
In the archives of the Glenbow Foundation, a
complete record can be found of the first meeting of the Millarville Race Club,
dated May 1905.
Another proud landmark event commenced two
years later in 1907 with the introduction of the Priddis & Millarville
Fair. In 1986 this unique one-day Fair was awarded the Canadian Association of
Exhibition’s “Best Local Fair of the Year.” Every August we welcome over 6000
guests to our grounds and since 2016, this special event of bringing our
community together has been extended to two days.
The Races and the Fair paved the way for the
creation of five additional events hosted by MRAS:
For over a century the Millarville Racetrack
& Agricultural Society has focused on bringing our community together
through agriculture, education, activities, and events.
Our success lies with the generations of
volunteers who dedicated themselves to this facility since 1905 and the
sponsors and donors who have generously supported MRAS initiatives.
To celebrate
the thousands of volunteers and donators who have donated time, material, and
hours over the last 100 years, a Legacy Mural was unveiled in 2021 on the south
side of the Riding Arena. In conjunction with the unveiling a book, Celebrating MRAS Life Members
& Presidents was launched, acknowledging volunteer
accomplishments. Michael Perks,
owner of Little Monkey Metalworks, artistically created this marvelous mural, depicting local agriculture – grain
bins, a tractor, windmill, cow/calves, cattle drive, cowboy, buffalo, three
feathers representing the Blackfoot, Blood, and the Stoney Indigenous People,
as well as community and family holding hands, validating family connections.
Definitely a visual commendation to horses and the “heavy lifting of donors
& volunteers”.
The Foothills, buffalo
run, and Rocky Mountains form the backdrop for the stunning 3-D racehorse with
metal cut outs of Life Members and Presidents’ names and the impressive 3D
heavy horse with donor family names. The
other two horses, bucking horse and show horse, are silhouettes for now. The legacy mural was the brainchild of Bill Jackson. More than $55 000 was donated by fifty donors
for this permanent historic record of volunteerism.
In 2023 – the MRAS agriculturally themed
Playground was constructed with the help of volunteers, sponsors, service
groups, and local businesses. Children enjoy playing on the barn play
structure, tractor, farm animals and other playground equipment. The MRAS
Society has launched a Name a Brick campaign to cover additional
costs. To help build a playground
legacy, a brick can be purchased for $200 with a name as a gift or as a
memorial in the memorial wall.
In 2014 the Alberta Agriculture and Rural
Development implemented a new recognition program for agricultural societies
that have been incorporated for 100 years or more.
Special Awards:
l 2015 – Award of Distinction at the Alberta Association of Agricultural
Societies (AAAS)
l 2019 – nominated for the Chamber of Commerce Business of Distinction Award
for Community Event
l 2020 – Government of Alberta’s Innovation Award for fundraising
initiatives and strong ability to adapt our events successfully throughout the
pandemic
l 2022 – nominated for Chamber of Commerce Business of Distinction Award for
Community Attraction
l 2023 – Five AAAS Marketing Awards
This short account cannot capture the proud
heritage and community spirit MRAS has provided to generations of families in
Southern Alberta. We invite you to visit us and experience Western Hospitality
at its finest.
