Grace Harty is hoppy to sit with one of the ear-resistably cute bunnies at the Stampede petting zoo. - NEWS PHOTO KENDALL KING
By 10 minutes to noon, the line for getting into the Medicine Hat Stampede & Exhibition Grounds on Methanex Kiddie’s Day was all the way to the end of the Cypress Centre. With temperatures already hovering around 35 degrees, those not under the canopy were hugging the wall to remain in some shade.
One family standing in line and lucky enough to be under the canopy were daughter Miaha, son Colton, mom Dallas, and dad Tory. They unfortunately had forgotten their sunscreen, but Dad was from Hawaii and thought his kids would be OK. They were all excited to be at the Stampede and Colton willingly showed off the fake butterfly lion tattoo on his arm.
At Pioneer Village, almost all the games and activities were under canopies or in the shade of trees, making the heat somewhat bearable.
The face painting booth already had all four seats taken and others waiting in line right after the gates opened. Casey Ristau was lucky enough to be one of the first children to get a spot and came away with a panda face. Casey was there with her mom Candace, grandma Karen and sister Caileigh. They planned to go on rides, take part in the scavenger hunt and go fishing.
Over at the toddler fishing pool were a couple of two-year-olds trying their luck with help from their mothers. Roman Won was holding the rod with his mom Courtney Valley behind him. Dad Cameron oversaw the stroller and said they were going to see how it goes since it was already smoking hot outside.
Across the pool from Roman was Olivia who was supported by her mom Kayla. Dad David Kinsey was also on stroller duty and explained they would, “spend a little time on the grounds before heading home. We’ll come back later this evening once we get past the hottest part of the day to get on the rides. This is her (Olivia’s) first time, so she is excited.”
