'We're ready to go': Whoop-Up Days kicks off in Lethbridge with rides, food and entertainment

Soon after the gates opened, hundreds headed onto the grounds to take in Whoop-Up Days' rides, food and entertainment.

LETHBRIDGE — The wait is finally over.

The 126th edition of Whoop-Up Days kicked off Tuesday after a parade, with people lining up outside the Agri-Food Hub and Trade Centre before the gates opened at noon.

Soon after the gates opened, hundreds headed onto the grounds to take in the rides, food and entertainment.

It wasn't long ago that the site was an empty parking lot.

Workers with West Coast Amusements needed just two days to set up all 33 rides available this week.

Even the rain couldn’t stop them.

"We had that pretty hot weather. And I know the neighbours around here, all the farmers, they really enjoy that little bit of moisture. We're ready to go," said Bob Hauser, owner of West Coast Amusements.

The West Coast Amusements staff is also very familiar with Lethbridge -- they’ve been coming to the city for more than 35 years.

It's become a trip Hauser and his employees love.

He's also excited at the prospect of free admission at this year's Whoop-Up Days.

"Well, it's great, and what an amazing fair. They're going to have free admission to the grounds this year. ... That's pretty darn good for everyone to come to the fair to enjoy themselves and have some fun," he said.

The only thing more plentiful than the rides are the food options.

Attendees can have everything from typical fair food to flavours from around the world.

For local vendors, it will be a busy week but it's always worth it.

"We've never done this type of thing before and certainly never done an event this big before. So yeah, it's exciting, maybe a little bit unnerving," said Dan Wolfe, owner of Moo Magic.

"This is probably our biggest week of the year. So we come down here, it gets us back into the community, lots of people are seeing us, lots of our customers are looking for us," said Dylan Toth-LaVigne.

Whoop-Up Days runs until Saturday.