Members of the Ikechukwu and Nwafor families, who moved to Canada from Nigeria, pose for a photo wearing duel soccer jerseys.--NEWS PHOTO BRENDAN MILLER
bmiller@medicinehatnews.com
Vibrant Canada Day celebrations held in Medicine Hat on Monday and Tuesday showcased the city’s cultural diversity as well as Canadian pride, as the country turned 158 years old – officially becoming a country July 1, 1867 with the confederation of three British colonies, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and what is now Ontario and Quebec.
It would be eight more years, on Sept. 1, 1905, when Alberta officially became a province.
Albertans across the province marked the country’s birthday with celebrations, and many expressed their deep pride in being Canadian, despite growing sentiment of division reported throughout the province.
“I am proud to be somewhere where everybody can be accepted and we can go out and be proud to be in the country we’re in and celebrate everybody here,” said Fallon Kurtz.
“I think openness, kindness and understanding to everybody else, everybody that’s around you and being part of the community,” said Adam Nichols.
Hatter’s enjoyed two days of celebrations this year as several hundred volunteers from the Medicine Hat Canada Day Festival planning committee and Medicine Hat Skateboard Association hosted several cultural events held at Kin Coulee Park and Kin Coulee Skate Park.
“This is a fantastic event, this Canada Day has been going on for I believe 35 years,” says Darlene Keeler, Medicine Hat Canada Day committee member. “The Skateboard Association and the new Medicine Hat Canada Day Festival got together and we put this on. We have worked very hard for the enjoyment of all the citizens of Medicine Hat.”
On Monday local food trucks held a Taste of Medicine Hat event that featured several dishes from cultures including Africa and India. Cultural performances graced the bandshell at Kin Coulee Park and included Bollywood and jingle dancers, as well as a sun dance performance, Spanish dance and line dance with local rodeo royalty.
Tuesday kicked off with a free pancake breakfast, as well as several outdoor activities for kids and teenagers like field games and bouncy castles that were enjoyed by hundreds of Hatters.
The afternoon included a small ceremony to welcome new Canadians that included local dignitaries as well as several more cultural performances.
“We immigrated from Nigeria and now we are proud to be Canadian because we are Canadian citizens. So at times you are in between two countries, and the love for the two countries are there, so we are excited to be part of this Canada Day,” said Ikechukwu.
Performances ranged from Punjabi dances, local bands, K-pop, Scottish and Irish-themed performances, belly dances as well as 11-year old Vyona Joshi, who performed songs originally from India.
The Umoja Family performed an energetic dance from Burundi-East Africa. To wrap up cultural performances, mother-daughter duo “Kvitka” – mom Mariana and seven-year-old Karolina – performed three Ukrainian folk songs for Canadians.
“For Ukrainians, we are very, very thankful. On the other hand, we don’t want to forget our culture, and we want to share culture with Medicine Hat,” says Mariana. “Music is all the time around me, everywhere. Here in Canada, I find my soul, my heart.”
The family moved to Medicine Hat in 2022 due to the ongoing war with Russia and says they are grateful for the support they have received from Canadians since.
“Because of the war, we find this place safe, and you can have a job here and your kids are in schools, not running underground every single day. It’s very important to be safe,” adds Mariana.
Canada Day festivities wrapped up with a free performance by Australian-Canadian country singer Gord Bamford followed by a 10-minute firework show that lit up the skies over Kin Coulee Park.
