What’s believed to be Alberta’s oldest general store in Namao, just north of Edmonton, held a Beer Fest on Saturday in an effort to solidify its status as a longtime community hub. Johnny’s Store was first built in 1902 to supply groceries, hardware and news to the Namao community. Around 124 years later, give or take a couple for closures and renovations, it’s now an evolved landmark owned by Julie-Ann McNeilly, who brought local vendors out for all things beer, espresso and food on Saturday. “Demographics have evolved and the city’s grown out, and there are bigger businesses. So we try to make it something that the community needs,” she said on Saturday. McNeilly and her brother reopened the reimagined store in 2024 after a long line of family ownership. “Having events like this has been extremely popular since we reopened to bring people together … to bring new generations to the store and give people an opportunity to have a great outdoor space without having to go all the way into the city.” The event featured raffle prizes to support Second Chance Animal Rescue. Johnny’s Store is an approximately 11-kilometre venture down the Henday from the north edge of Edmonton. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Galen McDougall
