Whoop-Up Days Parade draws crowd
Full field of 125 entries take part in Whoop-Up Days kickoff
Sunshine and smiles were out in full force as hundreds of southern Albertans got their whoop on during the 2017 Whoop-Up Days Parade, which kicked off five days of festivities on Tuesday morning.
A full field of 125 parade entries wound their way through downtown Lethbridge and up 13 Street North. There were plenty of horses, costumes, music and smiles to go around, as the locals got ready to kick up their heels for the annual event.
Due to the growing popularity of the parade, Rudy Friesen, Exhibition Park’s general manager, said they had to cap the number of floats.
“Otherwise the parade will last all day long,” he said with a laugh. “But it’s fantastic to have the support.”
This year’s parade is in celebration of Canada’s 150th as well as Exhibition Park’s 120th anniversary.
Mayor Chris Spearman went from “Bonjour” to “Yahoo” in less than 24 hours. He was in Saint-Laurent, Que., last week for the 50th anniversary of the twinning partnership with the City of Lethbridge.
Spearman said he’s looking forward to this year’s celebration and the opportunity to showcase the diversity of the city to visitors.
“I think it’s a bit of an eyeopener for many of the people who are watching the parade to see just how many aspects of Lethbridge there are. We really are a mosaic, and as we continue to grow we’ll continue to expand those horizons.”
Four Lethbridge Olympic and Paralympic athletes were named this year’s honourary parade marshalls.
Swimming phenoms Rachel Nicol and Zack McAllister both said they were excited and honoured to represent the city.
“I know we’ve come and watched this a lot of times throughout my childhood,” said Nicol. “It’s kind of surreal to actually be in it and honourary members of it for sure. It’s very neat.”
“It’s a very nice honour,” said McAllister. “It’s more than I expected and makes me proud to be part of this community.”
Both said they were actually more nervous being in the parade, than when they’ve been in competition.
“Swimming I know, I do every day, but this is completely different and it’s just quite amazing to be in front of a homegrown crowd. So it’s a little nerve wracking but it’s going to be lots of fun,” said Nicol.
“I feel a little more nervous because it’s hard for me to smile for more than two minutes, and this is at least two hours,” McAllister said with a laugh.
Rugby champion Ashley Steacy and hammer throw extraordinaire Heather Steacy were also honourary parade marshals, but were out of town and unable to be in the parade. Nicol said she and McAllister would do their best to represent in the parade on everyone’s behalf.
“We obviously can’t take the place of the two amazing women,” said Nicol. “We all have busy schedules and I’m sure they would have loved to be here. The Steacys are a huge part of the community and I’m sure they’re all here in spirit as well.”
With horses, drums, a giant float and more than two dozen decked out in full regalia, the White Feather Drum Group earned its trophy as the “Grand Aggregate” parade winner.
The group is “a family of cultural values and rodeo champions, living the legacy of our forefathers Chief Thunder Chief, White Feathers and Day Chief,” said Gloria Wells, who helped organize the float.
Winning “Grand Aggregate” award was a great honour, she said. The White Feather Drum Group also won first in the “Best Equine” category.
“It’s awesome and it’s really good with all the work put into it and family getting together.”
The West Coast midway opened at Exhibition Park at noon on Tuesday. Friesen said he’s optimistic there will be a good turnout for southern Alberta’s family festival this year. Sunshine and warm temperatures are forecast throughout the week, in contrast to the rainy weather last year.
“We’re certainly excited. It’s going to be a fun week,” he said. “There’s been a lot of buzz around Whoop-Up Days this year. We’ve still got some secrets we’re about to share in the next couple of days, so we think it’s going to be a great event.”
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