‘Military tattoo’ announced as health foundation, Kiwanis Club fundraiser

By Jeremy Appel on October 25, 2017.

jappel@medicinehatnews.com @MHNJeremyAppel

Medicine Hat’s Kiwanis Club announced Tuesday that it will be hosting a “Military Tattoo” on May 5 as a fundraiser for the local health foundation and itself.

The musical event, which has been in conception since May 2016, will take place at the Canalta Centre and last two-and-a-half hours without intermission.

“(It’s) a beautiful, excellent program of pipers and drummers and dancing and singers, and all kind of exciting things that will make your heart and your sternum throb for day and night,” said Ken Sauer, the event’s co-chair.

The term ‘military tattoo’ dates back 300 years, to when the British army was fighting in Belgium.

“It’s not the tattoo, the little butterfly on your ankle,” said Sauer. “It’s a famous historical reference

“At night, when they wanted to get the soldiers back from the pubs … they told the pubs to turn the taps down.”

The Dutch term for ‘turn off the tap’ is ‘doo den tap toe,’ which evolved into ‘tap-too and then tattoo.’

Sauer presented the event as part of the charitable work the Kiwanis Club has engaged in for its 93 years of existence.

Two-thirds of the proceeds will go towards the Medicine Hat and Area Health Foundation, which works with the Medicine Hat Regional Hospital. The other third will go back to the Kiwanis Club to assist with its local initiatives.

The Kiwanis are seeking sponsors, such as the Canalta Centre, to cover the show’s costs.

“The Canalta Centre has given us this specific facility except for the hard costs,” said Sauer, referring to the legal requirement that they provide security and ushers for the show.

Sauer said he expects there to be between 3,000 and 5,000 attendees.

“If we get 5,000 people, then the net proceeds will probably be $85,000 and we’d have $57,000 to share with the foundation,” he said.

The focus is on the hospital’s neonatal unit, as the Kiwanis have an international children’s fund.

Heather Bach, the health foundation’s executive director, said the item highest up on their “wishlist” is a vein viewer.

“It’s an instrument that highlights the vein on your arm, so that the nurses can find the right vein once and not have to poke more than one time,” she explained, adding that it would be a valuable addition to the entire hospital, not just its neonatal unit.

Specific to neonatal care, Bach said the foundation is also seeking reclining rocking chairs and commercial bottle warmers for new mothers.

Tickets for the Military Tattoo are $30, including GST and service charges, and will be available on Ticketmaster in the coming weeks.

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