K~Days 2017

K~Days has always been a long time tradition here in Edmonton, Alberta. Crazy rides, fairground foods, games, prizes and lots of talented performers entertain thousands of people, young and old, each year for the week long summer festival. It is a time for family fun, meeting with friends, or going for an old fashion kind of date. K~Days has something for everybody.

And if there was ever a place to publicly showcase your tattoos, the Edmonton K~Days would be the perfect venue. On a hot summer day, you can find people from all over Alberta showing up at the K~Days festival displaying their beautiful body art for others to see. Black and gray designs, full-colour sleeves, or just a cute little symbol worn on the neck can be seen throughout the line ups at the rides or concession counters.

As soon as I entered the park, I came across a young family who were standing in line at a refreshment counter. There was no doubt that this nice couple valued family and they proudly projected that with their tattoos. Family birth dates, names of loved ones and illustrations all conveyed their love of family.

Games of chance and skill are always part of the K~Day experience. Whether it is a small child fishing a yellow rubber duck out of a revolving river, tossing balls to knock over some bottles or betting on a number, there is always an entertaining challenge to be found. This beautiful mom seemed like she had been doing well. You will notice on the wrist she has a tattoo of her child's hand print.

Of course, not everyone comes out with armloads of prizes and tales of great wins, as this one man’s tattoo suggests. It must have been the minion's fault.

For most people, waiting in lines can be a pretty drawn out experience on a super hot day, but when it is for a ride that you are really looking forward to, that waiting time is filled with the momentum of building up courage to meet the challenge of a ride that may or may not take your breath away. Line ups were also an advantage point for me to stop and say “hello, can I take a photo of your tattoo” because it wasn’t like they were in a hurry to go anywhere.

         

         

There always comes a point when a person needs a bit of a break from the chaos of the crowds and needs to sit in a quiet place for a while to rest and cool down. There are a few nicely shaded picnic areas within the park to accommodate this luxury. With the exception of a mini steam train hooting by once in awhile, life becomes quite still in the Klondike Gold Panning area.

This young woman, Kathleen,  is one of those people who took advantage of such a spot. Her beautiful “Time” piece tattoo is still under construction and I am looking forward to seeing it when it is completed. There is a Big Ben clock tower, an hour glass and a pocket watch. If you would like to see the finished work, you can follow Kathleen at @Kathleenmayjean on Instagram. She really is a lovely person.

There was also a Saskatoon Riders fan enjoying the shaded picnic area with his family.

For those who do not want to commit to a full on tattoo, the henna tattoos or airbrush tattoos are a great alternative. Especially for those who are under the age of eighteen since one must be eighteen years of age to legally get a tattoo here in Canada.

Another part of the K~Days experience is inside the Northlands building where they have different activities going on. There is an area for those who want to shop, a children's area, a tech area and extreme sports area for people to explore and enjoy hands on activities. But there are also shows that are held in the Northlands building. One of this year's big events was the Powwow. It was an incredible event with hundreds of First Nations people coming to compete with each other in drumming circles and dance competitions for all ages.

At 7:30 pm the guitars start to warm up and the evening show begins. On this night an old Canadian 80’s  band called The Spoons started off the show. With great hits like Nova Heart and Old Emotions nostalgia flowed through the airwaves. It was really awesome to see musicians from the crazy 80’s still coming out and sounding as great as ever.

The next band to grace the stage was an all time Canadian favorite April Wine. By that point, many of the concert crowd have surrendered to the hot parched day and headed to the beer gardens to watch the concert. There you can find people dancing, celebrating and just having a great time with friends. The highlight of the evening was marked with the nightly fireworks signaling another great day at the fairgrounds has come to the end.

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