Good reason to celebrate as 130th Stampede rolls around on Canada’s 150th

By Medicine Hat News Opinon on July 27, 2017.

Stampede time is here again, a week to recall the past, let loose for some fun, and show some pride celebrating the west, the close region and the city of Medicine Hat.

The 130th edition of the local rodeo, fair and exhibition was well underway on Wednesday.

There’s every indication that by Sunday, we’ll all be buffaloed, remembering a successful show, cooling down from near record temperatures, and recalling Stampedes both present and past.

As a child, didn’t you still feel the momentum of the afternoon rollercoaster ride as you drifted off to sleep at night?

It is sad that as adults we’re a little more fickle.

Perhaps too much is made throughout the year — and over the years — about Medicine Hat’s general mood.

There’s usually at least a low grumble about this issue or that, the economy, the world today, or the prospects in the region and on and on.

Letting it overshadow four days of fun and festivity is no less than delivering a load of humbug in July.

Since the late 1800s Hatters have taken the opportunity to break up hot summers in the hottest part of the country with the largest party around.

This year’s event aligns with the celebration of the 150th anniversary of Canadian Confederation.

The subtitle of “Strong and Free” and the four-day event will focus on four themes: service, community, volunteerism and youth.

It’s not hard to insert these most Canadian of values into the events staged by the entirely volunteer organization each year. They appear to be the founding principles of both the local enterprise and the nation as a whole.

This week reminds us of good fortune and hard work that’s made the Palliser Triangle — once thought barren — a place of bounty where families and industry have taken root.

Agriculture, livestock, a wildcat spirit, and generally hard work has helped community flourish in a honestly unforgiving location.

That’s a reason for pride, and as good enough reason as any to celebrate.