2019 Whoop-Up Days are less than two months away and on Tuesday, officials with Exhibition Park unveiled exciting details for this year’s event, including naming the Boulet family honorary parade marshals.
With the Logan Boulet effect still rippling throughout not only the local community; but the entire nation, the chief operating officer for Exhibition Park, Mike Warkentin, said having the Boulets part of the event was a “no-brainer.”
Logan’s organs were donated following the tragic Humboldt bus crash in April 2018, prompting a surge of people to register to be donors as well.
“Everyone in Lethbridge has some connection… not just with the Boulet family, but with what happened last April,” said Warkentin.
“So for the community to continue coming together, and for Exhibition to do their part, was extremely important to us.”
The announcement was made at Exhibition Park before community partners and members, many of whom were wearing Logan Boulet Green Shirt Day t-shirts. Warkentin said he hopes to see the same sea of green on August 20, as the parade marches through the streets of Lethbridge.
Watch below (April 8): The ATB Centre was the epicentre of activity to mark the inaugural Green Shirt Day in Lethbridge on Sunday. The day honours the Logan Boulet effect, a nation-wide initiative to create awareness for organ donation. Chris Chacon has more.
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“We really do encourage the community to come out in their green shirts, to purchase new shirts to support the fund and really make the entire parade route as green as we possibly can.
“I think that image of the community coming together will truly be something special.”
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For Logan’s father, Toby Boulet, wearing green stands for so much more.
“Green represents growth, it’s renewal, it’s agriculture so it ties right in, it’s a natural tie-in,” Toby said. “It’s really exciting that people would actually take the time to wear green.”
All proceeds from this year’s parade entries will go towards the KidSport Logan Boulet Fund, which helps give more children the opportunity to play organized sports, regardless of their financial background.
Toby was present for the announcement on Tuesday, donning a small gold and green ribbon-shaped pin in memory of both the Humboldt Broncos and his late son.
Although Toby says he’s honoured to continue remembering his son with the community in this way, he also added his family feels proud to give back to the city that has offered so much support over the last 14 months.
“The community of Lethbridge is an excellent community and we’re so proud to be a part of it,” he said.
“We’re so proud that people want us to continue to be part of the community and we want to continue to give back, that’s what we do, we’re just giving back what people gave to us.”
Toby, who said his entire family are “Whoop-Up Day fanatics,” said it’s also very humbling to be able to be part of the event the family has attended every year.
Several other announcements were made on Tuesday regarding the upcoming event, including the return of the SuperTicket, which is currently on sale for $45.
The return of several community favourite events during the five-day festival were also announced, including Moonlight Madness and Bucking and Barrels.
Whoop-Up Days will run at the Exhibition grounds from August 20-24.
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