Stampede can’t truly start without the parade

By Collin Gallant on July 27, 2018.

cgallant@medicinehatnews.com @CollinGallant

It started with a bang and went on for a long, long time.

The 101st annual Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede parade wound through downtown for about two hours Thursday morning from its starting-gun location near Maple Avenue, to its conclusion at the corner of First Street and River Road.

Floats, wagons, horseback riders, classic cars, tractors, bubble machines — even a guy in a bathtub go-kart — toured city streets as thick First Street crowds cheered.

Entries totalled 130 for this year’s event, up five from last year and considered a high number by organizers.

“The entries were some really, really good ones and we we’re really impressed with what we saw,” said parade organizing chair Sheila Hubl-Leggo after the dust settled on the morning’s event.

She credited local businesses for driving up the total number of floats, and those entries showed a real effort to decorate vehicles or go all out with trailer floats.

“I think we had more horse riders than we usually do, but it was basically the businesses and their entries,” Hubl-Leggo said, adding that showing some style and support in the parade shows well in the community.

Community groups, service clubs, non-profits and youth groups also made their mark during Thursday morning’s festivities, to the delight of crowds that lined the route, but were somewhat thin on Second and Third Streets.

Thursday’s overcast conditions and comfortable temperatures where a departure from last year, when Hatters suffered under 37 C heat on parade day.

This year a few drops of rain fell as the parade came onto the official route under the First Street overpass, but heavier rain didn’t materialize.

This year’s honorary marshalls were fire chiefs Brian Stauth and Kelly Meyer, of the Medicine Hat and Cypress County departments.

Dignitaries included MP Glen Motz, MLAs Drew Barnes and Bob Wanner riding in convertibles behind the lead car of Medicine Hat Mayor Ted Clugston. Local government leaders from Cypress County and Redcliff followed, as well this year from Brooks, Oyen and Maple Creek.

Health Minister Sarah Hoffman and Alberta Party Leader Stephen Mandel also attended.

Military vehicles, the RCMP, and a long-line of farm and industrial equipment all took part.

Two horse-riding academies boosted the equine content, riding along 4H riders, rodeo queens from about a dozen locations and community riders with their own mounts.

A marching band from Raymond was joined by a local concert band and several Shrine Bands on trailers.

Winners of the 101 Annual Stampede Parade judging competition:

— Class 1 (Cowboys and Cowgirls Div. A) — 1. Brekkyn Van Buskirk, 2. Samuel, 3. Cassidy [last names not available from source].

— Class 1 (Cowboys and Cowgirls Div. B) — 1. Cyryl Schock and Les Wood, 2. Marg Biensch, 3. Don Davies.

— Class 2 (Glamour Class Div. A) —1. Sierra Siedlecki, 2. Alex Aleksijuk, 3. Gloria Hansen.

— Class 2 (Glamour Class Div. B) — 1. Mathis Schafer, 2. Denae Schafer, 3. Holly Padfield.

— Class 3 (Western Riding Groups) — 1. Royalty Alumni.

— Class 4 (Comic open) — 1. Medicine Hat Shrine Club ‘clowns’, 2. Fred Holt, 3. Alland Jacobs.

— Class 5 (Commercial Floats) — 1. Cypress View Veterinary Clinic, 2. Ralph’s Texas Bar and Steak House, 3. Cocomutt Hut Pet Retreat.

— Class 6 (Organizations) — 1. Brenda Land, 2. Jenna Jelinski, 3. Alberta Elks Foundation.

— Class 7 (Community Floats) — 1. Chat 94.5, 2. Cypress County.

— Class 8 (Special Ranch Class) — 1. Midnight’s Trail.

— Class 9 (4-H clubs) — 1. Irvine 4-H Beef Club.

— Class 10 (Big People, Little People) — 1. Medicine Hat BMX, 2. Medicine Hat Women’s Shelter Society, 3. Big Brothers and Big Sisters.

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