A hole lot of love as mini doughnuts hit 50-year milestone
Fifty years ago, the mini doughnut was introduced to the Calgary Stampede.
Kyle Corner, the programming entertainment manager with the Calgary Stampede, said he noticed the 50th anniversary was approaching a couple years ago and knew they would have to celebrate.
“I’m nearly 34 and I don’t know Stampede without mini doughnuts. I can’t tell you a July in my lifetime I haven’t had them,” said Corner.
But what about the mini doughnut makes it such a classic treat?
According to Corner, next to candy apples, the mini doughnut is one of the original fair foods.
“It fits in the palm of your hand. It’s good value. It’s super sweet and it’s the smell. When you arrive on the midway, there’s all sorts of smells but the mini doughnut jumps out and it’s such a tradition for folks that they have to have it,” said Corner.
Olivia Roy took her first bite of a mini doughnut on Friday at one of the Those Little Donuts stands.
Her aunt, Stacy Roy, made sure Olivia got to try the treat during their trip to the midway.
“I’ve been coming here since I was like three. It tastes better here because it’s fresh,” said Stacy.
Corner said each year, the Stampede brings in all kinds of novelties that people can try and dare each other to eat, but the mini doughnut is everyone’s “safety net.”
“You’ll try the experimental thing but you always end up with the mini doughnut somewhere during your Stampede experience,” said Corner.
But despite doing some digging, Corner said “to some extent it’s a mystery as to how it landed here 50 years ago and how it took off.”
There are about half a dozen mini doughnut booths on the midway this year, and each year more than 2 million mini doughnuts are served.
Of those booths, there are multiple vendors who each have a slightly different recipe.
“What I encourage people to do if they want to celebrate 50 years is try all of them,” said Corner.
“It may not be the original but in my lifetime Those Little Donuts, I know the orange and yellow booth like a mosquito to a light.”
So grab a bag of the tasty little cinnamon-covered treats and celebrate half a century of doughy tradition.