The Glenbow Ranch Park Foundation (GRPF) is preparing to host its first ever guided walk through the park on Dec. 18 that features Ol’ Saint Nick himself.
From 2 to 4 p.m., guests will be guided through the park as Santa Claus tracks his reindeer and shares his tales, spreading Christmas cheer for all to hear.
Afterward, attendees will each get a chance to purchase some gifts at the Visitor Information Centre and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate and even make a craft at the park’s new schoolhouse building.
Monica Beckett, education program coordinator for GRPF, said though the park has hosted Christmas-themed events in the past, this is the first iteration of the walk with Santa event. She said the hope is to draw guests to the park during the winter months.
“The advantage of coming to the provincial park is that we have beautiful trails and views, and so Santa is coming to find his reindeer here,” she said. “We love to engage people in our community with family events, but when its wintertime, our programming is a little less [popular].”
According to Beckett, the event is an opportunity for people to engage in the park outside of the regular programming hosted in partnership with the school system, or during the summer months.
“We do quite a few summer or school programs for winter and spring, so it’s a great way for families to connect with grandparents or the whole gang to come out and engage with our park and Santa Claus and enjoy the provincial park,” she said.
Beckett said the walk will be shorter in duration to accommodate for potentially chilly weather conditions and the young age of attendees.
The education program coordinator said GRPF works to protect the native prairie fescue grasses in the park, and the walk is an opportunity to highlight the plant. She added the native prairie grasses retain their protein and their nutritional value all winter long, which many invasive plant species do not do.
“There’s nutritional value here for ungulates like reindeer all year round,” Beckett said. “So that’s a great reason for Santa’s reindeer to come and make a pit stop here before their big event on Christmas Eve.”
She added though the winter weather is often a deterrent for outdoor activities in the park, it is important that people enjoy the park even during the off-season.
“Our goal is to do some fundraising and get the word out, so people know the value of protecting native prairie grasslands like we have here,” she said. “Because they are the most overlooked land and very highly developed, so, protecting them is important and often goes overlooked.”
Beckett concluded by iterating that GRPF’s mission is to show people the value of the grasslands that may be right under their feet.
“They don’t even know the value of it, so we can unveil that kind of excitement for them in the park, but also just have a lot of fun being outside, which is super good for everybody.”
Those interested in registering for the event are encouraged to purchase tickets at [email protected]
