Who doesn’t love a parade?
For the record, there might be a new local record for most New Democrats in a parade.
Thursday’s procession to celebrate the opening of the Medicine Hat Stampede featured seven MLAs in the current government.
They counted at local MLA and speaker Bob Wanner, Ag minister O’Neil Carlier, Calgary-area reps Craig Coolahan, Brian Malkinson, and Cam Westhead, Denise Woollard, of Edmonton Mill Creek, and Lethbridge-East’s Marie Fitzpatrick.
Cypress-Medicine Hat MLA Drew Barnes, now a United Conservative Party member, was the only representative of the newly formed and now official opposition.
The only political party leader in the mix was the Alberta Party’s Greg Clark (who later in the day wound up on CBC’s Power and Politics program to discuss the morphing landscape in the province).
Barnes, by the way, has been working out his feelers, sending along a few articles on social media that argue he’s a “true conservative” and a solid choice to lead the new rightof-centre political entity.
Former Wildrose Leader Brian Jean has been publicizing his platform and endorsements this week. Former PC party leader Jason Kenney has announcements planned this weekend.
Barnes hasn’t declared if he’s in, out, or otherwise backing anyone, but the obvious message is to “stay tuned.”
Parade Part II
Wanner got some blowback on social media last year after he rode in a big, gas guzzling ’50s convertible — a ride assigned this year to Mayor Ted Clugston.
A testament to the length of this year’s parade is that by the time the dignitaries had finished the downtown route, there were still floats and entries coming on to First Street. That meant Clugston had the ability to jump out of his car and watch the tail end get underway from the steps of city hall.
Other rides of note, Cypress County Reeve Darcy Giegle was once again squeezed into a Volkswagen. Last year it was a VW bug.
Cypress County, however, gets the News’ nod for best float of a municipality. Taber’s gigantic corn cob places a solid second.
Back and forth
Keen readers have likely been jarred between the “100 years ago” portion of this column that for some weeks has described the staging of the first Medicine Hat Stampede, and the present day claim that this is the 130th edition.
Both are technically true though.
Exhibitions had been staged in Medicine Hat since 1887 by various groups like the Turf Association and the Agricultural Society, when in 1917, a sub committee was formed to created a rodeo spectacle earlier in the summer.
(The annual Agricultural Fair typically happened later in the fall when harvest was better in hand.)
The official history book of the Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede, written in 1996 by George Wilcocks, states the rodeo, carnival and other events drew 29,000 paying customers in a town that was then only 10,000 people.
A look ahead
Last month a story relayed council members’ opinion that there would be little earth-shattering news or major undertakings before the end of the term this autumn.
Perhaps, but it’s all relative isn’t it?
If you’ve paid close attention, it’s been obvious that councillors and the mayor are itching to get an update on recent oil exploration activity out in the public. There’s also a transit system to overhaul before Labour Day and couple of union contracts to finalize.
Council meets again Aug. 8.
100 Years Ago
Parliament continued to debate the merits and construction of a Conscription Bill as the summer lagged on, The News reported in late July 1917.
Locally, Gros Ventre area farmer Ferdinand Weiss was charged with the death of neighbour Jacob Rosenfelder after a rifle shot felled the latter, who was being held for arrest by a group of neighbours.
Initial details were very sketchy though neighbours told of a previous shootout and Weiss claimed he was justified.
In Europe, Russian forces continued to retreat as German forces pushed into Galatia (present day Ukraine).
Locally, a raid at an opium den in Redcliff resulted in seven charges. A.E. Barnes, of Nemiscan, won a silver medal for his oats at the San Francisco Exhibition.