Men’s Health At The Forefront At Art In The Park
Under partly sunny skies and rain showers until it cleared, the Good Life Institute once again brought creativity, community spirit and an important message about men’s health together during its annual Art in the Park event on Saturday, September 12 at the Vermilion Agricultural Grounds.
The event drew hundreds of Vermilion and area residents throughout the day, with approximately 20 vendors, hands-on classes, family activities, a Show and Shine, lawn mower races and the Man Van all contributing to a busy day at the grounds.
This year’s event was made possible through the support of Inter Pipeline, whose sponsorship also helped bring the Man Van to Vermilion.
“I would like to extend a huge thank you to Inter Pipeline, the heart behind Art in the Park. Inter Pipeline’s generous support makes it possible for us to bring our community together for a day filled with creativity, connection, and community spirit,” said Good Life Institute Art in the Park organizer Paige Jaremco.
One of the highlights of the day was the Man Van, the Prostate Cancer Centre’s mobile men’s health clinic. The clinic offered free PSA blood testing for men between the ages of 40 and 70, along with blood sugar, waist circumference and stress checks for men 18 and older.
Dozens of local and area men took advantage of the opportunity, taking proactive steps toward their health while helping to open conversations surrounding men’s health and the importance of early detection.
Organizers were thrilled with the turnout and the number of participants who engaged in conversations about men’s health. With prostate cancer affecting approximately one in six men in Alberta, and rates even higher among Black and Indigenous men, the message of prevention, awareness and early detection was an important part of the day.
While the Man Van brought an important health component to Art in the Park, creativity was still at the heart of the annual event.
The artisan market featured vendors offering everything from handcrafted bath and body products, baked goods and bannock to home décor, jewelry, pottery, paintings, art prints, crocheted creations and other locally made items.
Those looking to create something themselves had several pre-registered classes to choose from, with organizers changing things up from previous years.
“It worked out really well actually because I made the choice to switch it up this year and do something other than painting,” Jaremco said. “We had knife forging with Ed Storch from Storch Knives. We have a wild medicine class and a layered wooden sign-making class. So it was a good choice to try something new.”
Participants could choose from layered wooden sign making, a Wild Medicine BC Mullein Class and knife forging with professional knife maker Ed Storch. The knife forging classes were limited to four participants due to the hands-on and time-consuming process, giving those taking part the chance to create their own knife under Storch’s instruction.
The Paint Your Partner Challenge also brought plenty of laughs as participants put their artistic skills to work creating portraits of their partners.
New to Art in the Park this year was a Show and Shine, which proved popular and added another element to the growing event.
Children were not left out, with VIBE providing free crafts, glitter tattoos and face painting. Geocaching, a QR scavenger hunt and giant yard games gave families even more ways to take part.
This year also marked a significant change as Art in the Park moved from Heritage Park beside the Vermilion Senior Centre to the Vermilion Agricultural Grounds.
Jaremco said the event had simply outgrown its former location.
“Last year it was so squished with all the vendors,” she said.
The Heritage Park sprinkler system and cleanup following indoor painting sessions had also created challenges. Moving to the Ag Grounds gave organizers considerably more space and allowed the market, classes, Show and Shine, children’s activities and Man Van to operate comfortably in one location.
From creating something new and browsing locally made products to enjoying family activities and taking an important step toward better health, Art in the Park once again brought the community together while showcasing the many talents found throughout the area.
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