L.A. Beat

Organizers and performers are psyched for Whoop-Up Days, the biggest family festival of the year in Lethbridge. 

The popular annual event averages about 70,000 people each year coming through the gates to check out a variety of attractions.
“We’ve got about 130 floats registered for the parade and Rick Casson, our former member of parliament will be parade marshall and ambassador for Whoop-Up Days this week,” enthused Exhibition Park manager of marketing Doug Kryzanowski, tying up assorted loose ends for the event.

“ We’re very pleased about it. He‘ll add a touch of class to the event,” he said.
While Whoop-Up Days officially began with the parade on Tuesday morning,  Aug. 23, the first pancake breakfast of the week was on Sunday at University Drive Alliance Church.

Throughout the week all over the city, there will be fundraising pancake breakfasts for a variety of causes including the Interfaith Foodbank, Cerebral Palsy Association, Woods Homes, the Boys and Girls Club, The Canadian Red Cross and many more throughout the week.
For details, locations and addresses, check their website http://www.exhibitionpark.ca/index.php/general-events/2011-events/whoop-up-days/.


The gates open at 1 p.m. each day and close at 11 p.m., though entertainment and the midway continues through the night.
“That doesn’t mean it’s over. The entertainment generally goes until about 11:30 p.m. But if you leave after 11 p.m., that’s it, you can’t get back in,” he emphasized.

 Preparations were well underway for Whoop-Up Days, the vendors for the trade fair were moving into  the South Pavilion for the trade show on the weekend.

To cater to the family atmosphere, a variety of classic rock bands are on the bill beginning Tuesday with Lighthouse, who scored a string of early ’70s hits including “One Fine Morning” and “Sunny Days.” They will be playing at 8 p.m.

Trooper will be “Here For a Good Time (Not A Long Time,)” as they’ll “Raise a Little Hell,” on Wednesday, Aug. 24.
Kenny Shields and Streetheart will be showing some “Action,” on stage as they will “Look In Your Eyes” like it was “Hollywood” at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 25, followed by local disco/ funk/ R and B orchestra Hippodrome at 9 p.m..

Friday night, Aug. 27, features local rising country star Trevor Panczak and Rough Stock at 9:30 p.m. with local classic rock band Unzipped at 7:30 p.m.

Whoop-Up Days rounds up on Saturday, Aug. 27 with classic rock band Who’s Yer Daddy followed by “Spaceship Superstar,” Prism who will “Take You Away,” to “Armageddon.”

“This is a family event,” Kryzanowski stressed, adding while a lot of summer fairs focus on events like tractor pulls, Whoop-Up Days is designed to be fun  for the whole family, so there will be a petting zoo,, “Canine Craziness” featuring trained dogs, reptiles, native dancing in the All Nations Tipi Village.  Another attraction will be professional freestyle motocross featuring Kris Garwasiuk, performing  at 2:30, 6:30 and 9 p.m.

“We have new acrobats this year too,” he continued, adding the Acrobats of Hebei China, will be performing in the South Pavilion every day at 4,6 and 8 p.m.

 He is looking forward to the reptile display.
“It’s a family event so we like to have an educational component,” he said. There is a family stage feauring comedy from Jamaican Me laugh and hypnotist Terrance B.

 In addition to regular attractions, Whoop-Up Days also  features three roving performers— Dan the One Man Band, Rainbow the Clown and Lethbridge has Talent winner,  16-year-old Vauxhall singer-songwriter Tristan Skretting, who is looking forward to  performing.
“I go to Whoop-Up Days every year, so I thought why not,” she said from her home, on her way to take part in  the Empress Theatre’s vaudeville gang show in Fort Macleod.

“ I’ll be a roaming performer on the festival street,” she said.
“It’s going to be cool, because I’m not on a stage or anything,” she said.

 While organizers didn’t know she  won the Lethbridge has Talent Competition back in March, she made sure she told them when she called. She will be performing a variety of original country/ pop songs plus a lot of popular hits  at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. each day. She won Lethbridge has Talent with her song “Miracle” about her older brother who  has Muscular Dystrophy.
“He’s just such an inspiration. He has physical limitations, but he doesn’t let them stop him from pursuing his passions of photography and doing well in university,” she said.

“I didn’t expect to win (Lethbridge has Talent) when I entered it. I think I heard about it on the radio and thought  that would be cool to enter.  But there was such amazing talent performing that when they called my name, I was pretty shocked,”  said Skretting, who has been playing in public since she was 12.
 She is looking forward to being part of Whoop-Up Days

“It’s a great  fair. It gives people a reason to go out. And there is always great entertainment there,” she said.
One of the big attractions includes CPRA pro rodeo action running Wednesday through Saturday. The slack performance is at 5 p.m., Aug. 24, the first performance at 7 p.m. on Aug. 25 and the second at 7 p.m. on Aug. 26.
 The last rodeo performance of the week is at 3 p.m., Aug. 27.

Admission remains the same at $10 in advance, $12 at the gate and free for children under age 10. Seniors pay $10. Admission includes everything including entertainment, except food and rides on the Midway.