Westerner Days Celebrates the Heart and Talent of Over 400 Young Artists
June 26, 2025
June 26, 2025 | Red Deer, AB
Westerner Park is proud to celebrate the incredible creativity of local students through its 2025 Coloring and Poster Contests, hosted in collaboration with Red Deer Public Schools and Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools.
This year saw an outpouring of imagination and artistic expression, with 450 coloring submissions from Kindergarten to Grade 7, and 14 powerful posters submitted by middle and high school students. Students in the coloring contest worked from a Westerner Park–provided activity sheet, bringing it to life with colour, creativity, and personality. Meanwhile, the poster contest challenged middle and high school students to explore the themes of “community” and “celebration,” resulting in bold, heartfelt artwork that reflected what connection and pride look like in Red Deer.
“To say this was an easy decision—it wasn’t,” said Thea McMechan, Business Development Manager at Westerner Park. “We were so impressed by the talent across all grade levels that we simply couldn’t narrow it down—so we expanded the number of winning entries to recognize more of these amazing young artists.”
While individual winners cannot be named due to privacy, the selected winning artwork will be prominently featured on Westerner Park’s digital screens across the grounds during Westerner Days. In addition, every single submitted entry will be proudly showcased in the Parkland Pavilion for all attendees to enjoy. As a token of recognition, winners will receive RAD Passes or general admission passes to Westerner Days, based on where they placed.
In the same spirit of celebration, Westerner Park also gifted free admission passes to every Grade 5 graduate from Red Deer Public Schools and every Grade 6 graduate from Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools. This initiative recognizes these important milestones and invites students to be part of the community celebration at Westerner Days.
“At the heart of everything we do is community,” said Shelly Flint, CEO of Westerner Park. “Whether it’s showcasing the creativity of young artists or recognizing important milestones for students, these initiatives are all about celebrating kids, supporting families, and creating joyful connections across our region.”
Westerner Park invites everyone to visit the Parkland Pavilion during Westerner Days to view the full student art showcase and experience the energy, imagination, and pride that Red Deer’s youth bring to the community. Visitors are encouraged to share their favourite pieces on social media by tagging @WesternerPark and using #WesternerDaysArt to help celebrate these young artists online.
Join us for Westerner Days, July 16-20.
To get your Westerner Days tickets, visit ticketsalberta.com, or pick up a RAD Pass (Ride All Day) at any Central Alberta Co-op Food Store or Gas Station.
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ABOUT WESTERNER PARK
Westerner Park is Central Alberta’s largest tradeshow, agricultural, sports, entertainment, and convention facility. A not-for-profit organization and agricultural society, Westerner Park typically generates $150 million annually in economic activity, hosting over 1,000 events and 1.5 million visitors each year.