West Willows

08/19/2026

08/19/2026

The celebrations continue at Alexander First Nation Treaty Week, and next up is something you truly don’t want to miss — the Alexander First Nation Annual Powwow!

This is your invitation to come out, join the community and experience a beautiful celebration of culture, tradition and connection through dance, drumming, regalia, gathering and so much more.

If you’ve never attended a powwow before, this is a wonderful opportunity to come with an open heart, learn, listen and experience firsthand the beauty, strength and richness of Alexander First Nation culture.

Bring your family. Bring your friends. Come celebrate, support and experience it for yourself.

Thank you, Alexander First Nation, for continuing to open your community and share these incredible opportunities to gather, learn and celebrate together.

The week isn’t over yet — come join the celebration!

08/19/2026

West Willows is LOCAL to Alexander First Nation?

We’re just a short 15-minute trip away, so the animal fun definitely doesn’t have to end with Treaty Week!

West Willows hosts birthday parties, field trips, school and community group visits, and we can even bring the experience to you with our in-class field trips. Whether you want to come visit us or have us bring some hands-on animal education to your classroom, we’d love to connect.

Interested in learning more? Message the West Willows page to connect directly with Amanda. We hope to see some of those familiar smiling faces again soon!

And if you took photos with any of the West Willows animals over the last two days, PLEASE tag us! We absolutely love seeing your pictures and those surprised, sweet and sometimes hilarious connections with our animals.

Now we have to know…

WHO WAS YOUR FAVOURITE?

Rachel THE Kunekune pig?
The baby ducklings?
Or the goats?

08/19/2026

What an absolute BLAST Day Two of the Youth & Family Events for Alexander First Nation Treaty Week was!

Today, Rachel THE Kunekune pig was definitely the STAR of the show! There may have been a little hesitation and a few nervous faces when she first arrived, but Rachel quickly showed everyone what a gentle, sweet girl she really is. It didn’t take long before she had hearts melting and people lining up to give her some love.

And Rachel wasn’t alone!

We brought along our baby ducklings, a beautiful white laying duck, one of our rescued ducks, and four of our goat crew. Billy had the day off today, so Kihew, Poppy, Penny and Baby Pepsi stepped in to soak up all that attention.

One of our favourite parts of these events is watching those unexpected connections happen — someone who starts out a little unsure or nervous and then suddenly they’re petting an animal, asking questions, learning about them and walking away with a huge smile.

That is what West Willows is all about: connection, education, experience and a whole lot of animal love.

A huge hiy hiy to the Alexander First Nation members, families and event coordinators for welcoming West Willows back for our second year as part of Treaty Week. We are so grateful to be included and hope this continues to be a relationship we get to grow year after year.

We loved watching the kids and families not only enjoy the animals, but ask questions, learn about them and get to know all of their very different personalities.

Now we have to know…

WHO WAS YOUR FAVOURITE?

Rachel THE Kunekune pig?
The baby ducklings?
Or the goats?

08/18/2026

🐐💜 Sponsor Spotlight!

We’re excited to welcome West Willows to WillaSTRONG: A Day of Hope!

They’ll be bringing their animals for families to meet and enjoy throughout the afternoon, with the petting zoo available by donation and all donations supporting the WillaSTRONG Foundation. 💜

We’re so grateful to West Willows for helping us add another fun and memorable experience for families joining us on this special day.

Be sure to check out West Willows and everything they have to offer! 🐐🐴

🌿 West Willows
📱
📞 (780) 220-5778
📧 [email protected]

A Day of Hope Event Info:

📅 Sunday, August 23
⏰ 12:00–3:00 PM
📍 Functional Therapy, St. Albert

08/18/2026

What an absolute blast — and what an incredible welcome for West Willows at the first of two days for Youth & Family events at Alexander First Nation Treaty Week!

Today we brought along our little gaggle featuring 5 different breeds of ducks, plus 4 adorable goats with some VERY big personalities — and they soaked up every bit of attention, curiosity and love!

One of our favourite parts of bringing West Willows into community is watching those connections happen. The smiles, the tentative first pets that turn into big cuddles, the questions, the stories and the opportunity to share a little knowledge and hands-on experience with animals.

And we aren’t done yet!

We’ll be back tomorrow from 10–1 with some DIFFERENT West Willows friends joining us!

A huge thank you to Alexander First Nation for welcoming us and allowing us to be part of your Treaty Week celebrations. We are so grateful to share these experiences with your youth, families and community.
Hiy hiy
See you tomorrow!

07/26/2026

Some stories are just meant to have a happy ending…

Welcome home, Buddy! 🦆💙

If you caught the news, you may have heard about Buddy, the adventurous Cayuga duck who decided Summerside Lake was the perfect place to spend his summer. While it made for quite the adventure, Buddy needed a safe, permanent home where he could thrive.

We’re so excited to share that Buddy officially arrived at West Willows today! And we have to say… he’s settling in like he’s owned the pond forever. Splashing, exploring, and meeting his new feathered neighbours—it’s safe to say this handsome guy is already living his best duck life.

A huge thank you to everyone who helped make Buddy’s journey possible. It truly takes a community to give animals the happy endings they deserve, and we’re honoured to be the place Buddy now calls home.

Welcome to the West Willows family, Buddy. We think you’re going to love it here. ❤️

07/24/2026

What an absolutely incredible day!

To everyone who stopped by to visit our West Willows crew at the chrysalisalberta event—thank you. Your kindness, gentle hands, laughter, and excitement made today so special for both us and the animals.

We know there were lots of smiles shared with our furry and feathered friends, including our lovable goats Penny, Poppy, Kerchew, and Billy, along with all of our adorable ducklings and geese. We hope they made your day as much as you made ours!

Now we need your help…

Did you snap some photos today? We’d love to see them! Please share your favourite moments in the comments or on your own page, and don’t forget to tag West Willows so we can enjoy all the wonderful memories captured throughout the day.

If today’s visit left you wanting more animal cuddles and country charm, we’d love to welcome you out to West Willows, conveniently located just 10 minutes north of St. Albert. Come experience the animals, the peaceful setting, and everything that makes our little slice of the countryside so special.

Thank you again for spending part of your day with us. We can’t wait to see your photos—and even more smiling faces again soon!

07/24/2026

What’s cuter the fuzzy babies or their smiles?

07/24/2026

There is something pretty special about spending the day surrounded by smiles, laughter, and genuine connection.

Today we had the privilege of sharing a little West Willows joy with the incredible community at Chrysalis, and our hearts are full. Thank you for welcoming us so warmly and for all that you do to create a place where everyone belongs.

If you’re here today, come on over and say howdy—we’d love to meet you!

A huge thank you to Chrysalis: An Alberta Society for Citizens with Disabilities for having us. We can’t wait to do it again!