Calgary Stampede kicks off with parade along previously flooded route

CALGARY -- Two weeks after their route was a river, the Stampede parade triumphantly reclaimed it Friday.

Launching the parade and the Stampede into its second century was newly-retired astronaut Chris Hadfield, who saddled up on a white pony named Jag.

Last month?s deluge, which took five lives and caused billions of dollars in damage, infused the parade with added significance, Hadfield said.

?Calgary?s celebrating all of its history, its culture but also its strength through adversity,? said Hadfield, the silty remnants of the flood still visible at his feet.

?This is where every Canadian should be today.?

The former Canadian commander of the International Space Station was mobbed by autograph-seeking well-wishers.

Police estimated 300,000 people lined the route -- down from last year?s parade crowd of 400,000 during the Stampede?s centennial.

Source: http://www.edmontonexaminer.com/2013/07/05/calgary-stampede-kicks-off-with-parade-along-previously-flooded-route

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