Katari Right Hand named parade marshal for virtual 2021 Stampede Parade
The 2021 Calgary Stampede Parade will follow a different route and not be open to spectators thanks to the ongoing pandemic, but will still feature some familiar traditions.
The parade to kick off the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth usually attracts hundreds of thousands of Stampede-goers along its downtown route, and organizers are hoping that will happen again, albeit virtually.
The parade will still feature the popular floats, marching bands and mounted riders, but rather than travelling through downtown on July 9, this year's parade will be held at Stampede Park before the grounds open to the public.
Katari Right Hand from the Siksika First Nation, who is featured on this year's Stampede poster, has been chosen as the 2021 Calgary Stampede Parade Marshal.
Right Hand’s Blackfoot name is Nààpiwa otó piim Akikowan, which means Rainbow Girl and as a fancy dancer, her regalia features signature rainbow ribbons.
"I am very proud and excited to be the 2021 Stampede Parade Marshal, so I can represent Niitsitapiiks. I'd like to thank Lexi Hilderman for selecting my picture as her entry for the Calgary Stampede 2021 poster contest," said Right Hand.
"I would also like to thank the Calgary Stampede for choosing me to be the 2021 parade marshal. But, most of all, I want to thank my parents, Marcell and Delores Right Hand, for raising me to be the best that I can be. Thank you to Creator and everyone for your continued guidance and support."
Steve McDonough, president and chairman of the Stampede board called it an honour to have Right Hand lead this year's parade.
"I was inspired by the image Lexi submitted and wanted to learn more about the remarkable young woman featured," he said.
"Katari Right Hand’s name Rainbow Girl is a reminder that we are coming out of a storm together and that as the clouds move behind us, the sun will shine again.”
The 2021 Stampede Parade will also welcome a special group of honorary parade marshals who have been instrumental in our community through the past year and a half.
“We want to recognize the essential workers who have given so much to our community throughout the pandemic. From those who went to work each day at local grocery stores to ensure we had access to essential supplies, to the medical staff who have worked so tirelessly,” says McDonough.
Hilderman will also be joining in the festivities, travelling the route in the Calgary Stampede Foundation carriage. The 2020 parade marshal, Filipe Masetti Leite, who achieved a dream of crossing the Americas on horseback, arriving in Calgary last July, will be back for a more boisterous celebration.
His arrival in Calgary following his incredible journey was celebrated despite the cancellation of the 2020 Stampede Parade.
The Calgary Stampede has arranged a partnership with Global Calgary to broadcast the virtual edition of this year's parade.
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.
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.
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.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
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.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
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.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.