Countdown is on to Whoop Up Days as Lethbridge and District Exhibition announce protocols
With only a few days left before Whoop Up Days, the Lethbridge and District Exhibition has released a list of safety protocols aimed at delivering what they describe as a “safe, responsible and healthy” event.
Everyone attending the festival will have their temperature checked upon arrival, masks will be highly encouraged, and there will be an emphasis placed on sanitization.
All Lethbridge and District Exhibition staff will undergo mandatory rapid testing each day, and a negative result will be required before staff begin their shift.
“We’re excited to have people back on the grounds, because that’s what we are all about, is gathering the community,” said Lethbridge and District Exhibition C.E.O. Mike Warkentin.
“But wanting to do that in a safe and responsible way was our key priority,” he added.
WILD ROSE SHOWS ON THE MIDWAY
The midway arrived Monday and workers are busy assembling the rides. Alberta based Wild Rose Shows is offering about 50 attractions for the three-day long Whoop Up Days festival.
“We combine our shows here,” said Wild Rose Shows owner Michael Kryzanowski.
Whoop Up Days
He said the travelling carnival is usually divided in half, so they can operate two fairs in one weekend, but they have brought all 26 rides to Lethbridge.
“Everything we have is laid down here,” added Kryzanowski.
The midway operators have been on the road since July 1, amusing fair goers throughout Alberta and Saskatchewan.
According to Kryzanowski, attendance at the fairs this summer has been double what most events would normally see.
“People missed out on all the events last year,” said Kryzanowski. “I think maybe they are double excited to get out there and line up and go to the midway and have a little carnival food and see the rides.”
NO ADMISSION CHARGE
Another factor that will likely help boost attendance is there will be no admission charge to get into the fair.
The Lethbridge and District Exhibition said it was committed to putting on a community celebration that would provide a positive experience for people who have gone through so much over the past year and a half.
With protocols in place, organizers said there would be a strict zero-tolerance policy for any verbal or physical abuse toward those who are implementing the rules.
Warkentin said that policy is simply to protect the environment for staff, volunteers and guests who are attending the festival.
“We’re not taking a stance on COVID-19. We are trying to do what is best to protect everyone coming to our site,” he added.
The modified festival opens Thursday afternoon, with the Midway, Festival Street, Music, Marketplace and Hickory Street Patio.
All of the information is available on the Lethbridge and District Exhibition website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.