SMOKE FROM A DISTANT FIRE
FAIR-GOERS AND WORKERS BOTH FEEL THE EFFECTS
Families enjoy the last day of Whoop-Up Days with a heavy smoke lingering on the grounds Saturday afternoon.
Whoop-Up Days is enjoyed by thousands of people every year, with a wide variety of activities and entertainment for the entire family, but this year’s festival has been a little more difficult to enjoy for many due to the heavy cover of smoke from the raging fires in Montana.
Families and friends packed up the car to make a day out at the Exhibition Park grounds for their favourite carnival rides and games, but decided to cut the day short because the smoke was too much for some the handle.
Karen Williams and her children go to the festival grounds every year to take in the excitement. She says getting to watch her kids enjoy the rides and entertainment is the best part of it all, but admits that this year the moods are a little glum from being worn out by the smoke.
“We came out because we love Whoop-Up Days but we probably won’t spend a lot of time because the smoke takes a lot out of you and it’s hard to spend all day in it,” says Williams “My kids love the spinning rides but even they were saying on them, mixed with the smoke that it was really difficult to breathe, and that really makes it hard to enjoy the day completely.”
Hundreds of workers from the kiosks, carnival operators, grounds keepers and food truck vendors spend long hours every day making sure that the weeklong event runs smoothly. Working in the smoke has taken its impact on many of the workers’ health, including Linda Therout from BK sales who sells cowboy hats at the event.
Therout says she has become ill working outdoors.
“Everyone is coughing and sick, the smoke has really effected our health," says Therout. “The numbers are way down this year compared to the last few years, but what do you expect? This is the new norm for summer time — we get lots of smoke so I guess we will just have to get used to it."
Alberta Health Services has put out an air quality advisory for the last few days, due to the fires which advises people to limit the amount of time spent outdoors. AHS reminds people to keep hydrated, stay inside as much as possible and to monitor your symptoms if you are feeling affected by the smoke.
Whoop-Up Days still brought out thousands of people every day who didn’t mind the smoke to enjoy the festivities on the grounds.
The final numbers for Whoop-Up Day will be collected in the next couple days to see if the smoke had an impact on this year’s numbers.