Submitted by Rose Kovachik |

The annual Cowan Trail Celebration was held on August 26, 2023, keeping its traditional date of the fourth Saturday of August.

On Friday, the night before the main event, as usual, the Cowan Hall parking lot slowly filled with RV trailers and horses. Campsites also slowly speckled the area with groups gathering to tell stories well into the night. Then by 8:30 am Saturday morning, everyone was eager to get the day started with a hearty breakfast. This meal included options such as pancakes, sausages, hashrowns, eggs, etc. and of course, coffee.

By 10:30 a.m., after horse registration, the horse ride entourage began on the journey beneath bright sunny skies for a ride across the Cowan bridge, heading North into blueberry country in the backwoods around Cowan. Onlookers watched as the long train of horses and wagons slowly
disappeared beyond site. They even got a bit of a show as horse or two felt rambunctious enough to give their rider a little excitement; however, the experienced individuals had no trouble getting them back on track. As noticed each year, there were some new faces as well as some loyal familiar ones which is great to see. As the hours passed, the weary travelers, after passing through creeks, grassy meadows and sand-ridges, were greeted with a light hotdog lunch to keep their energy and spirits up. This provided a welcomed break to talk about their surroundings with some coffee and a quick story or two before moving on to finish the ride in the afternoon. The weather was perfect for the days event. We heard many compliments from the horse riders on the great trail we had and the great trail organizers like Ashley and Jamie. Some even enjoyed the trail so much that they ventured out again on Sunday, under Ashley Beal’s lead, through another trail.

There were door prizes for the trail riders and silent auction prizes were also available to test the luck of anyone interested. These items were made available by many local business sponsors which are part of our successful event. Upon return, for those that wished and any others that cared to join, there was a hearty beef supper waiting which also included perogies and cabbage rolls prepared by the Cowan Community Ladies Group. The supper, which started at 5 p.m., slowly wound up at approximately 7 p.m.

After supper, with the help from visitors, the hall was quickly transformed for the dance that began shortly thereafter. With Midnite Run playing, the dance floor was full most of the night. A full lunch was served to allow a bit of a break. However, the break was short and once again the dance floor was filled as the band played into the early hours with demands for encores when they tried to wind down.

We had many compliments on the good trails, the food, and the great family friendly event. We hope all that attended enjoyed their day and will be enticed to return. It was wonderful to see everyone. It is you, the participants, that keep us going and allowing us to provide this function year after year.

A very big thank you to:
· the many volunteers that put ample hours into prepping, organizing, cleaning and working at this event;
· the local and distant sponsors that provide all of the silent auction, door prizes, event prizes and
· the participants for their interest and loyalty to this event.

All of the above are a requirement to make such an event successful and available for years to come.
See ya all next year

Below are the sponsors that assisted with this year’s event.
Bumper to Bumper
Campbell Construction Inc.
Copeland, Kyla
Cook & Cooke Insurance
Cychmistruk, Micheal
Darin McKay Auctions Ltd.
Extra Foods
FCC Canada
Formo Motors Ltd.
Giant Tiger
Kal Tire
Kolisnyk’s General Store
Kovachik, Wade & Rose
Merv’s Audiotronic
MNP LLP – Swan River
Napa
Northern Specialties Ltd.
OK Tire
PKHC
Pattison Agriculture
Richardson Pioneer
Rick Wowchuk, MLA
River Valley Powersports
Rough Country Sports
Serafin, Kathy
Kovachik, Marvin
Super 8 Motel
Swan Valley Collision
Swan Valley Coop
Swan Valley Credit Union
Swan Valley Insurance Group
Valley Bearing & Auto
Valley Meat Packers
Valley Water & Septic Service