Every January, a celebration called Winterfest, is held in Chestermere. Friends and families gather for winter activities, delicious food, community building and fireworks. This year, it was extra special as the community gathered to celebrate becoming Canada’s newest city!
The day kicked off with a ‘Lumberjack Pancake Breakfast’ hosted by the Knights of Columbus, where you could find members of Chestermere City Council serving up yummy pancakes and sausages. Following breakfast, the main hall had been transformed into the ‘Chinook Zone’ where there were kids’ activities such as face painting, bounce houses, slap shot hockey, a balloon artist, lantern making and ATCO gas reps were on hand serving up free popcorn. Meanwhile, outside In the Arctic Zone, attendees could enjoy sleigh rides, food trucks, trying to find their way through a hay maze and warm up by the fire pit.
The ever popular “Polar Bear Dip”, which was organized by Synergy, drew a large crowd to watch members of the community including Evan Dewald (Synergy board member and pastor of Lakeridge Community Church), PC MLA Bruce McAllister, and even some of the youth from YELL (Youth Encouraging Lasting Leadership plunge into the icy pool of water. Participants were asked to dress as their favorite super hero, which added just that extra spark of entertainment to the icy fun. Participants had been collecting pledges in an effort to raise money for the not-for-profit Synergy. It is believed that approximately $2200 was raised, which all goes into youth programming right here in our city! Great job Chestermere!
Then it was time to head inside for the Exhibition Hockey Game. Each year, members of Chestermere Fire Service and RCMP compete against a Chestermere team, the Wannabees, to raise money for a deserving local family. This year, proceeds from the game and raffle will be provided to Michaela Wood, a young resident battling muscular dystrophy.
“Michaela is 6 and was diagnosed with Congenital Muscular Dystrophy at the age 1. We recently got an exact diagnosis of LMNA MD. Which is pretty rare”, explained Penny Wood, Michaela’s mom. When asked what Michaela thought of being chosen as the recipient of the funds raised, mom Penny said, “Michaela thinks it’s pretty cool and she was super excited that she will do the pick drop at the game. I’m pretty sure she really doesn’t know what that means.”
Wood went on to say that they are extremely thankful to the City of Chestermere and all of those that participated in the game. The family has been saving and raising money for the purpose of installing an elevator in their home to allow for little Michaela to move around their home a little easier. The raffle and puck drop at the game brought in around $775 for the family. At this time, it is unknown how much was raised at the silent auction that was also held during the game.
The festivities wrapped up with a children’s lantern walk near the Chestermere Public Library and then a special city status ceremony. Calgary’s Mayor Nenshi joined Chestermere’s Mayor Matthews and members of city council in a cake cutting ceremony celebrating our newly granted city status. A finale of a spectacular fireworks display ended the evening as the community stood together celebrating this historical event.
Mayor Patricia Matthews reflected on the day saying, “It was a delight to be able to celebrate with so many of our residents and special friends and neighbours. What a wonderful start we have to our new status as a City!”
