A prominent southern Alberta family has been named the honorary marshals for the 2025 Whoop-Up Days Parade.
The Morris family are the owners and founders of Gas King, with Lethbridge and District Exhibition saying they exemplify the 2025 Whoop-Up Days theme of ‘Hometown Heroes’.
“We’re very honoured to be included in such an elite group of past parade marshals,” says Gas King president Brent Morris, who founded the company with his father Don in 1985.
It has remained family-owned since, and has expanded to seven locations across Lethbridge, Picture Butte and Medicine Hat.
Morris adds he is a little nervous to be a part of the parade but the whole family is excited.
Gas King has supported Whoop-Up Days for the past 25 years, and throughout its existence, the business has supported other local organizations and groups like the Lethbridge Hurricanes, the Lethbridge Bulls, Lethbridge Polytechnic, the University of Lethbridge’s Operation Red Nose and many others.
Last year, the company pledged $150,000 to the Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation’s Bringing Hearts Home campaign, which is raising funds to support a new cardiac care centre in Lethbridge.
“Our contributions over the years would not be possible without the support of our great community and the Gas King team, who take care of our customers day in and day out,” Morris says.
“Lethbridge has supported us for 40 years, so we feel it’s important for us to give back.”
Having championed Whoop-Up Days for over two decades, Gas King once again presents the ‘Free ‘Til 3’ initiative in 2025. This will allow for free admission to the festival for everyone from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. from Tuesday, August 19 to Thursday, August 21.
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Paul Kingsmith, the Exhibition’s director of event development, says the Morris family truly embodies this year’s theme.
“This is a company that not only employs local people and gives back to our community in that way but is also so charitable and so giving in everything that they do, and the number of organizations that they support the community is a laundry list,” Kingsmith states.
“When we talk about someone making a difference in the community and someone that deserves a little bit of that spotlight, the Morris family and Gas King jump right to mind.”
The annual parade, presented by Park Place Shopping Centre, will start at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, August 19 at the mall. The route goes south along 3 Street South, east on 3 Avenue South, north on 13 Street North, and then east on 9 Avenue North, before dispersing at Galbraith Elementary School.
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Full details on Whoop-Up Days are available here.
