Plans already underway for next year’s Whoop-Up Days
By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on September 1, 2022.
Herald photo by Ry Clarke
Fairgoers take in the festivities at Whoop-Up Days last week at the Exhibition Park."We're really encouraged" that so many people did come out despite the challenges of threatening weather, said Lethbridge Exhibition CEO Mike Warkentin.LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com
The dust, or rain, has barely settled and Mike Warkentin is already looking forward to the next Whoop-Up Days.
The chief executive officer of the Lethbridge Exhibition told media on Wednesday that planning is starting on the 2023 version of Lethbridge’s summer fair.
And the Exhibition is looking for public input into possible components of the fair. An online survey will run until Sept. 7 asking the public what they want to see included in future Whoop-Up Days.
To celebrate its 125th anniversary this year, the Exhibition brought back professional rodeo and added other elements including a powwow and curated art space.
And of course it had Twiggy, the water-skiing squirrel, who attracted a lot of attention.
“We’re very excited about how last week’s Whoop-Up Days turned out,” said Warkentin.
“Mother Nature had to throw some wrenches at us but it was a successful week nonetheless,” he said.
Warkentin said there was a higher level of excitement about this year’s fair, which he attributed in part to the end of pandemic “and the ability of Lethbridge residents to get back together as a community.”
“I think a lot had to do with the programming elements that were part of the fair this year with the addition of the pow wow and the rodeo as well as the art program, La Galleria.
“Those elements drove different audiences to the fair than we’ve seen in the past so the feedback has been very positive,” he added.
The fair attracted 23,000 patrons last week which is down from previous years. The weather had an impact on that number, he said.
The fair had a record number of guests in 2019 with nearly 38,000 going through the turnstiles, thanks in part to the StagEX Music Festival. The five-year average, not including 2019, is around 29,000, Warkentin said.
“We’re really encouraged” that so many people did come out, the CEO added, despite the challenges of threatening weather.
Warkentin said parking concerns will be addressed when the Agri-Food Hub is completed and up to 1,000 spaces can be added.
“Parking is always a challenge during Whoop-Up Days,” said Warkentin, adding it’s being addressed in long-term planning.
“We do anticipate adding about a thousand parking spots to the Whoop-Up Days layout in future years once we’re done with the construction but that’s not here yet.
Potentially parking had an impact, said Warkentin, but the impact from previous years to this year was only several dozen spaces.
“Because Lethbridge is a driving community, how do we provide alternative methods of transportation to get to the park?”
He said the Ex is working with the City’s transit department to encourage the use of transit to the site.
Warkentin said the pow wow “was a tremendous success. From both our side and the Blackfoot Confederacy, I don’t think we knew what to expect.”
They had a target of about 100 participants and four or five drum groups. At the end, there were more than 160 participants, he said.
“We look to continue to grow that element of the programming in the future.”
The overall feeling from attendees at the rodeo was that “it was tremendous to have professional rodeo back,” he said.
“From the rodeo community, the feedback has been phenomenal to have professional rodeo back in Lethbridge. It had been an important stop on the rodeo calendar for many many years,” Warkentin added.
The rodeo didn’t sell out this year but “we have some tricks up our sleeve to sell out the grandstand next year,” he said.
“We met our target” in terms of audience, he said.
“The people who came here wanted to have fun. We had a dedicated rodeo crowd, I would say.”
In future years, residents will see a “dedicated effort from us to attract further different audiences, much like we did this year and very specifically from other communities.”
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What a joke this year. No bands playing? Found out from a inside source that they refused to give any money to the bands for playing! But instead told them they could set-up a tip jar instead. What a insult to these talented people. As always I vote with my wallet and they will not get a penny out of me for sure!