In the end, poor weather didn't take away a thirst to learn more about the recreational and leisurely activities available right here in our backyard.

The two-day Explore Cochrane weekend, organized by Cochrane Tourism, saw people enjoy a number of activities, including tours, rafting, biking and rounds of disc golf. The experience has left many participants and event partners wanting more.

"On our outdoor spaces and history tours, people were asking if we were going to do them again and asking when they could bring their families, so that's a pretty positive response," says Cochrane Tourism executive director Jo-Anne Oucharek.

When the sun came out to greet us on Sunday, an enthusiastic crowd enjoyed the bike tour offered by the Bike Cochrane Society.

Overall, 70 per cent of all the low-cost tickets were sold. Topping the list was two days of completely sold out outdoor spaces tours. Even with poor weather on Saturday, 80 per cent of the Bow River rafting trips were filled and that climbed to 100 per cent on Sunday afternoon when the weather improved. The art and culture tours were 70 per cent full.  The bike tours were the hardest hit by Saturday's poor weather but were almost full on Sunday.

"We had lots of last-minute bookings, as you could imagine, but we were 50 per cent sold out prior to the weekend," says Oucharek.

Gypsy's Caravan and Hunter Valley Adventures provided the gentle floats down the Bow that gave several residents an introduction to rafting on one of the most pristine features of the community. Families, in particular, enjoyed the 20-minute trips.

"We actually had a birthday party booked for one of the rafts, which is fantastic," she says.

At Mitford Park, John Samms, of Mountain Fly-Fishers, provided casting instruction. While predominantly based on Canmore, he's working on establishing events and activities here, says Oucharek.

Leah Cann enjoyed disc golf course in Riverfront Park.The Riverfront Park is home to a nine-hole disc golf course that is free of charge to use. Dwayne Cann came out to shoot a round with his son and three young charges. He says they regularly enjoy playing the course and it offers great fun for families. Roxanne Macintosh, of the Cochrane and District Chamber of Commerce, was on hand to provide discs for those who needed them and information on the course.

The major focus of the weekend was to inform residents of leisurely activities. Following a debriefing with event partners, though, it could also lead to the development of further Cochrane tourism products. 

"Several workshops are planned with Travel Alberta to bring the partners together and create those packages for not only a local audience but for the travel trade and for people passing through."

"The goal of this was to see if they worked and see if there was interest in them."

After reviewing data, it's possible more Explore Cochrane weekends will be staged, she says.