Maple Ridge Lions Club is hosting its annual day of mid-winter fun and expects hundreds of people to attend again this year.
The Winter Family Fun Day & Market will be held on this year’s Family Day – which falls on Monday, Feb. 16, running from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Albion Fairgrounds, at 23448 105 Ave.
Event coordinator Femmie Gibson said the annual event started in 2018 because there was little for families to do on the then-new holiday of Family Day.
“We started small with just one of the buildings, and had 300 people attend,” Gibson said. “The next year the word had gotten out and we counted around 900 to 1,000 people.”
The event includes indoor and outdoor games, crafts, music, and visits by police and firefighters and the St. John Ambulance Society. It is a free event for all comers.
The event had to be cancelled for several years during the COVID-19 pandemic, and then started up again in 2023.
“It is a fundraiser so we added a market to cover costs and create income so we could keep the event free,” Gibson said.
This year the market has expanded and has a lot of fun things for the kids.
The event, like all Lions events, will collect funds to benefit local charities. The club has raised money for the Ridge Meadows Hospital Foundation and Friends in Need Food Bank.
The events have also contributed to gift certificates for the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Christmas Hamper Society.
“Additionally we help individuals who need certain things like hearing aids, therapeutic riding, or anything crucial to their well being, but unable to afford,” noted Gibson.