Regular blood donations have become a tradition for Hatters Randy and Sonia Laughlin, who passed their 200th combined donation milestone on Aug. 8.--NEWS PHOTO KENDALL KING
Medicine Hat News
It was a year like few others – 2020 and 2021, most notably – but Medicine Hatters still managed to provide many reasons to smile through 2022.
As we put a close on the year, the Medicine Hat News has compiled a look at some of the most heart-warming headlines to grace our pages as the calendar ran its course.
January
Aera Beatrice Cooper became Medicine Hat’s first baby born in 2022 when she arrived with parents Amy and Corbin Cooper at Medicine Hat Regional Hospital on Jan. 1 at 1:49 p.m., weight eight pounds, six ounces and measuring 19 and three-quarter inches.
February
Buckley the goat brought international attention to Leisure Way Mini Farms, between Medicine Hat and Dunmore. Buckley, a rare tri-coloured, blue-eyed purebred miniature Nigerian goat, gained notoriety through his TikTok account, which features him and Leisure Way Mini Farms’ other goats, horses, pigs, chickens and ducks. By the end of February, Buckley had racked up nearly 75,000 and more than 1 million likes.
March
Students at Dave Rozdeba Flight Academy in Dunmore began putting the finishing touches on a plane constructed by the class, with plans to go airborne over the summer. The academy began building the two-seat Van’s RV-12iS in 2020.
April
Various local retirement communities celebrated Easter by taking part in Dunmore Equestrian Centre’s first four-week egg hatching program. Each community was given roughly 20 eggs to tend to, with some hatchlings left with residents to watch them grow.
May
The Rise Up Medicine Hat Hot Air Balloon Festival dotted the skies with an unusual spectacle for Hatters, as 15 balloons took flight from Echo Dale over the final weekend of May.
June
Ukrainian refugees Olena, Teliana and Tyomfii reflected on their first month in Medicine Hat after being displaced by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Despite the harrowing experience of fleeing a war-torn country, the family of three chose to focus on moments of kindness and cooperation. As Olena put it, “To stay kind, to stay positive; it’s the best way to keep on living.”
July
Hometown country star Mackenzie Porter returned to the Gas City to headline the Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede night shows – marking the full return of the Stampede after going without in 2020 and hosting a scaled-down version of the event in 2021.
August
Randy and Sonia Laughlin proved blood is thicker than water when they made their 200th combined donation with Canadian Blood Services. The father and daughter each began donating blood as teenagers and hope their milestone encourages others to do the same.
September
Around 10,000 Hatters made their way downtown to experience the Together Again festival, which featured live music, local vendors, a ceremony acknowledging new citizenships, a dinner on Finlay Bridge and more.
October
Medicine Hat resident Pat Donahue celebrated his 25th year living with his third heart. Donahue survived six heart attacks, leading to two transplants, the second of which took place in October of 1997. Donahue gave his thanks to organ donors who give the gift of life.
November
Charlotte Shemko chose to put others before herself when she turned nine years old on Nov 23, using the occasion to collect toys and money for the Medicine Hat News Santa Claus Fund for a seventh consecutive birthday. Shemko raised $3,480 worth of toys for “for kids out there that don’t have any toys.”
December
The Medicine Hat Tigers were able to return to the hospital to deliver teddy bears to children in person for the first time since 2019. Oasiz Wiesblatt scored the year’s Medicine Hat News Teddy Bear Toss goal, sending 1,346 stuffed animals and 1,510 winter clothing items over the glass and setting up a meeting between the team’s leadership group and some beaming young fans.
