Annual Race for Responders moves to new Halkirk venue

Published 2:56 pm Monday, June 22, 2026

By Kevin Sabo

The third annual Race for Responders is set to take place July 3 to 5 in Halkirk.

Sanctioned by the Alberta Barrel Racing Association (ABRA), the three-day event will feature competitors from around western Canada descending into the community.

Nicole Ference, one of the organizers for the event and a director with ABRA, said the phone has been ringing consistently with registration inquiries. By the time the event takes place, she anticipates about 300 racers.

“I have a feeling that we will hit more than we are anticipating,” Ference said. “More than we’ve had before, that’s for sure. I mean, it’s getting bigger every year.”

While it is the third year for the event, it is the first year it is taking place in Halkirk. Ference said the event was initially hosted near Consort, closer to where she lives. However, a friend of hers who lives near Halkirk told her about the grounds available in that community. Ference decided to approach Paintearth County about making the move.

“We were looking for a change of venue that had a few more resources,” Ference said. “I had just reached out to the County of Paintearth, and they were super excited for us to consider the move.”

The Race for Responders begins with a warmup jackpot on July 3. It is essentially a practice run, with a reduced entry fee, and a corresponding prize.

July 4 and 5 are when the real competition happens. Racing will begin at 10 a.m. July 4 and 9 a.m. July 5, with an awards presentation to follow the Sunday racing.

The plan is to get racing done earlier in the day on July 5, so competitors can head down the road to another competition in Rimbey later the same day.

In addition to the racing, there will be a full concession throughout the weekend, a beer garden, a vendor’s market and music on the evening of July 4. Also on July 4, the Race for Responders is hosting a short men’s barrel racing program.

Race for Responders was originally conceived to help the Consort fire department, on which Ference’s husband serves as deputy chief.

Ference said that the fire department “had a really tough year” and needed the support. In exchange for helping put on the earlier events, the Consort fire department received funds from it.

However, for 2025, the focus shifted to a broader first responder support program: Boots on the Ground Alberta.

Boots on the Ground Alberta is a first-responder-led peer support mental health resource for first responders and military members. The organization has a 24-hour helpline and offers confidential peer support.

Prizes for the Race for Responders are 75 per cent of normal, with 25 per cent going to Boots on the Ground Alberta.

“It’s helped a lot with raising awareness,” Ference said. ” A lot of people didn’t know that Boots on the Ground existed, including myself, until I had to look for it.”

For more information or to register for the event, check out raceforresponders.weebly.com.