Lethbridge Exhibition wins big at business awards

The Lethbridge and District Exhibition won a prestigious award. The Chamber of Commerce recently hosted their Lethbridge Business Awards and the Exhibition took home the Spirit of Reconciliation prize. It is for the work they did along with the Blackfoot Confederacy during the Powwow and Princess Pageant at Whoop Up Days earlier this summer. Mike Warkentin, the CEO of the Exhibition, says it was an honour to take home this award and continue to work toward reconciliation in our community.

“We often talk about how Lethbridge is a community surrounded by some of the biggest reservations in the country and some of the largest Indigenous populations in the country. And the reality is that’s true if you look at a map. What our hope for our programming is, is that we are a community gathering place that promotes one community inclusive of Indigenous and Blackfoot people. And we’re not talking about a community that’s flanked by reservations. We’re one community here in southern Alberta that is inclusive of our Indigenous people.”

Warkentin says there was $65,000 worth of prize money for powwow contestants and around 200 dance contestants competed during the event.