Whoop-Up Days plans announced: No parade, fair moved to September
The sights, sounds, tastes and smells of Whoop-Up Days will be returning to Lethbridge this year although the fair will be held about 10 days later, and will be a bit smaller than usual.
Exhibition Park announced the fair will be held from Sept. 2-5. It will include Wild Rose Shows midway, music, beer gardens, food vendors, marketplace and horse racing.
It will also include free admission and free parking, although that will substantially reduced due to on-going construction of the new Agri-food Hub and Trade Centre.
“This event as a community celebration has never been more important,” said Mike Warkentin, Lethbridge & District Exhibition CEO. “The history of this event is as old as this community.
“Although it may not look the same as it has in recent years, we can’t wait to welcome people back.”
With different COVID restriction levels between Alberta and B.C. West Coast Amusements, the usual midway operators, will be remain in the lower B.C. mainland this year. The dates for the Lethbridge fair were adjusted in order to accommodate the schedule of Wild Rose Shows, which will supply the rides this summer.
However, the Whoop-Up Days parade has been postponed until next year, when it can hopefully return in its full glory.
“The parade is one of the truly unique times when this community comes together in droves,” said Warkentin.
Given the short timeline, as well as the logistics and resources involved with organizing the parade, organizers felt by waiting until 2022, they could make sure people get a full parade experience.
The western rodeo events have also been postponed until 2022, although Sept. 5 will mark the start of the Rocky Mountain Turf Club’s fall face meet.
Warkentin said Whoop-Up Days is all about community celebration and organizers wanted to provide a good experience for people coming out of the pandemic. That was one of the reasons it was decided not to charge admission this year.
“Everyone’s had a tough couple of years and we knew the event was going to be smaller than it has been in the past,” he said. “We wanted to make sure we were still giving people value for the entertainment provided.”
The festival will include live music in the Heritage Hall beer gardens, food trucks and the Whoop-Up Days marketplace.
Many of the details are still being worked out. Organizers said the midway will be spaced out, but they are still in discussions over possible attendance levels or other COVID restrictions.
Event hours have been adjusted to avoid any conflict with school hours and the COVID-19 vaccine clinic on-site at Exhibition Park.
On Sept. 2, the grounds will operate from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.
On Sept. 3 and 4 the fair will run from noon to midnight.
Sunday is set aside for the kick-off of the fall race meet.
Warkentin said although Whoop-Up Days may not look the same as years past, organizers are very excited to welcome residents and guests in Lethbridge to the festival. He added there has been a lot of community interest in having the celebration go ahead.
“There are a lot of local small businesses that participate in events like this and the response we've had to date has been overwhelming for us to do Whoop-Up days.”
You can get more information online.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
LIVE NOW Canada to launch 'national action plan' to fight auto theft
The federal government is launching what it calls its 'national action plan' to combat auto thefts, which will include stronger penalties for thieves, and increased information sharing between police agencies, government officials and border enforcement.
U.S. Supreme Court rejects appeal from former Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal by a Canadian-born former Guantanamo detainee who was seeking to wipe away his war crimes convictions, including for killing a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan.
Iran's president and foreign minister die in helicopter crash at moment of high tensions in Mideast
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and the country's foreign minister were found dead Monday hours after their helicopter crashed in fog, leaving the Islamic Republic without two key leaders as extraordinary tensions grip the wider Middle East.
Jury finds Andrei Donet guilty of second-degree murder in stabbing death of Montreal teen
A jury has found a 21-year-old man guilty of second-degree murder in the stabbing death of Montreal teenager Jannai Dopwell-Bailey outside his school in 2021.
What is BORG drinking, and why is it a dangerous trend? An expert explains
If you've been to a party lately and haven't seen someone drinking a BORG, you're likely not partying with college students.
The world's best airline is paying staff a bonus of 8 months' salary
Singapore Airlines will reward its employees with a bonus worth nearly eight months of salary, a person familiar with the matter told CNN on Friday.
Woman, 35, in critical condition after her truck collided with a Via Rail train near Montreal
A 35-year-old woman is in critical condition after the pick-up truck she was driving was struck by a Via Rail passenger train Monday morning in Quebec's Monteregie region.
Investors watching posts from 'Crypto King' in the wake of fraud, money laundering charges
Former investors of the self-styled “Crypto King” say they are watching his social media accounts and worried his displays of wealth are signs he’s spending their money, even now, as another large expense tied to Aiden Pleterski has triggered a previously unreported lawsuit.
Britain slammed in inquiry for infecting thousands with tainted blood and covering up the scandal
British authorities and the country's public health service knowingly exposed tens of thousands of patients to deadly infections through contaminated blood and blood products, and hid the truth about the disaster for decades, an inquiry into the U.K.'s infected blood scandal found Monday.