Rainy days didn't dampen spirits as Calgarians marked Victoria Day weekend at theme parks, charity motorcycle ride
Despite a soggy forecast, Calgarians made the most of the Victoria Day long weekend with the seasonal reopening of popular local attractions, downhill karting and a charity motorcycle ride, with a bit of sunshine on Monday afternoon to cap things off before people return to their daily routines on Tuesday.
Article content
Article content
Calgary received 2.1 mm of rain on Friday, 3.5 mm on Saturday and 14.7 mm on Sunday, totalling more than 20 mm over the Victoria Day weekend as of early Monday afternoon, according Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Article content
Article content
' Weather aside, Saturday and (Victoria Day) have certainly exceeded our expectations for our grand opening weekend here at Calaway Park,' said Chelsea Barteaux, marketing manager at Calaway Park. 'We have done better than we projected from an attendance perspective.'
Article content
Article content
New this year at the park is the Riptide Racer ride, a restaurant called Riptide Grill and a family-friendly water balloon fight.
Article content
Article content
Even on Sunday, guests still came out in the rain to enjoy the park, bringing their rain jackets and umbrellas, Barteaux said.
Article content
Heritage Park's Historical Village also reopened for the season on May 17, inviting visitors aboard Calgary's only paddlewheeler, the S.S. Moyie, and to enjoy returning attractions on the Antique Midway.
Article content
Article content
Over at WinSport's Canada Olympic Park, Skyline Downhill Karting launched its summer season Saturday. The activity is open to all ages and abilities, with varying hours posted online.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Calgary Herald
14 hours ago
- Calgary Herald
Rainy weather in Calgary forces Saturday plans to pivot
With stormy weather rolling into Calgary on Friday night, the downpour continued into Saturday — raining on a full parade of events. Article content According to Todd Bate, senior meteorologist for Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), the Calgary area has seen 71 millimetres of rain into Saturday afternoon, with more on the way. This comes after the ECCC's projected forecast of 40-80 mm. Article content Article content Article content Wind levels in the city came as a bit of a surprise. Article content Article content 'The wind was perhaps slightly stronger than expected. We were expecting gusts of 40 to 60 kilometres an hour, and we ended up with gusts of 70,' Bate said. Article content With a busy Saturday of events planned around the city, many were forced to adapt to the stormy conditions. Article content With the forecast coming in on Friday, WinSport postponed the opening of its bike park ahead of time, opting to push the start of its season to Tuesday. Article content Similarly, Sport Calgary's All Sport One day — a youth sport discovery event — faced numerous changes as a result of the rain, with three locations no longer hosting activities and a host of other activities being relocated or cancelled. These mostly included outdoor sports like soccer, field hockey and frisbee. Article content 'There actually weren't many cancellations, which was amazing considering the forecast. It was a great day, actually' said Catriona Le May Doan, president and CEO of Sport Calgary. 'It was great that we could pivot.' Article content Article content The Mega Bounce Run event hosted by Race Roster was also cancelled, with the rain and wind making its inflatable obstacle courses potentially unsafe. Article content The MS Bike event from Airdrie to Olds was affected, with the cycling portion of the event cancelled due to weather conditions. Participants were invited to join other planned festivities at Olds College, including the indoor beer gardens, dinner and programs. Article content The event will continue as planned on Sunday, with cyclists making their way from Olds College back to Airdrie. Article content Confluence Historic Site & Parkland held its annual Walk for Reconciliation Saturday morning in the pouring rain, with nearly 200 people in attendance. Heritage Park also celebrated National Indigenous Day with a traditional powwow.
Calgary Herald
17 hours ago
- Calgary Herald
Walk for Reconciliation draws hundreds of Calgarians despite stormy weather
Article content Almost 200 Calgarians braved the stormy weather this morning to walk in support of National Indigenous People's Day. Article content The Confluence Historic Site & Parkland held its 16th annual Walk of Reconciliation Saturday, leading the cold, wet trek from the Harry Hays building on 4th Avenue S.E. to Fort Calgary. Article content Article content Despite the strong winds and pouring rain, participants were more than happy to don their ponchos and support the cause. With folks hesitant to stop for a breather, the walk was far more brisk than previous years — taking less than half an hour. Article content Article content 'I really enjoyed the walk. I'm soaking wet and I'm cold, but I really enjoyed it and I would do it again,' said walker Nadia Hussein. 'And when I think of the purpose of why we were there, it was really motivating to get out today and motivating to see the community as well.' Article content Article content 'Last year we had almost 500 people come out [on a Friday], so we were really excited to see how many people would come out on a Saturday when people weren't having to go to work,' said Rebekah Jarvis, director of community engagement at the Confluence. 'We were still really impressed with the turnout. People chose to come out, and chose to make the walk, even though it was really uncomfortable.' Article content Article content The Confluence welcomed participants out of the rain and into the upper barracks to hear a variety of speakers as well as drumming and dancing ceremonies. A livestream event was held at the Burnswest Theatre to accommodate those who couldn't make it to the barracks. Article content Indigenous speakers included Charlotte McLeod, Audrey Weasel Traveller and Dr. Maurice Manyfingers. Article content 'One of the great things about the speakers today is that they're not just speakers — they're walkers. They're people who walk the walk, and talk the talk,' said Keestin O'Dell, Indigenous student engagement strategist at Bow Valley College's Iniikokaan Centre.
Calgary Herald
2 days ago
- Calgary Herald
Full steam ahead for Neighbour Day despite rainfall warning
Article content Calgary's annual Neighbour Day is going forward this weekend 'rain or shine,' Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek announced at a press conference Friday morning. Article content 'And it feels a little bit like it's going to be more rain than shine,' she added. Article content Article content The celebration has run yearly since 2014 to commemorate outpourings of community support during the 2013 floods. This year saw the launch of the Neighbour Day micro-grant program, letting Calgarians apply for up to $2,500 to host a celebration. Grants on offer totalled $70,000, and the fund was quickly fully expended across the city. Article content Article content The microgrants helped fund 43 community events, expected to reach more than 20,000 Calgarians. An additional 22 green space events are expected across Calgary, along with 55 block parties. More than 50 fire trucks have been requested to visit events, although working crews may be called away from their planned attendance. Article content Article content While no official Neighbour Day event had been cancelled at the time of the press conference, other events in the city have not been so lucky. Article content A vintage western wear weekend dubbed the Honky Tonk Market was forced to postpone and abbreviate its three-day event. The likelihood of the Tomkins Park market had been in question for days, as organizers, the city, and the 17th Avenue Business Improvement Association worked their way through weather reports, before finally cancelling the event Thursday morning. Article content Article content 'We're all taking this weatherman hat, and putting it on and trying to predict what's going to happen,' said Ashlee Popowich, vendor co-ordinator for the market. Expected rainfall varied between both days and weather apps, but the safety risk of winds tearing down tents was what forced the final call. Article content Popowich says the city has been a great partner through the meteorological chaos, and with that support, they were able to postpone the market to take place on June 27, albeit shortened to a single day. While grateful to reschedule on such a short timeline, she says that the 50 vendors expected for the market are still feeling the loss. Article content 'A lot of small businesses really rely on these kinds of events, especially at a peak point of tourism for our city, to be able to carry their businesses through the rest of the year.' Article content Neighbour Day events able to run despite the forecast are likely to see Gondek herself, who plans to visit every quadrant and at least 17 communities. She'll be leaving behind Mayor Jyoti's Buckets of Fun — small sand pails filled with candy, sidewalk chalk, and 'even a rain poncho, because here in Calgary you need to be prepared for everything,' Gondek said. Article content She says she would be disappointed if events were forced to reschedule but would understand given the conditions.
