Calgary White Hat

at the 2011 Calgary Stampede wearing Calgary White Hats The Calgary White Hat was created by Morris Shumiatcher (1892–1958), a Russian-Jewish immigrant who came to Alberta with his father in 1909. His mother and ten other siblings joined them in Calgary in 1911. In 1919, Shumiatcher bought Calgary Hat Works, a hat cleaning and blocking firm, and turned it into Smithbilt Hat Company, which would manufacture and sell hats as well. The company operated retail stores in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia. In the 1940s, the board of the Calgary Stampede decided to encourage the wearing of cowboy hats at the annual rodeo and Shumiatcher sought to meet the demand. Though light pastel hats for men were then in vogue, Shumiatcher opted to manufacture a pure white cowboy hat. He imported the white felt from Russia through his Jewish contacts there who were tailors and hat makers, and produced 18 white hats in 1946. The 1948 Grey Cup event caused the Calgary White Hat to be regarded as a symbol of the city's hospitality. ==White hatting ceremony==

David Jacobson and his wife are "white hatted" by Calgary mayor Dave Bronconnier during their first visit to Alberta, 2009 In 1950, newly elected mayor of Calgary Donald Hugh Mackay, who had been part of the 1948 Grey Cup excursion, City Council aldermen increasingly grew uncomfortable with the practice, which they viewed as a show: Alderman P.N.R. Morrison protested that "The white hats undermine efforts to establish Calgary as an oil and industrial centre", and Alderman Grant MacEwan said, "The presentations have been carried to a foolish extreme". world leaders Vladimir Putin, Tony Blair, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush; the Dalai Lama, Pope John Paul II, and Governor General of Canada Michaëlle Jean; and entertainers Bob Dylan, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, David Lee Roth, Luciano Pavarotti, Oprah Winfrey, and Mickey Mouse. In 1969, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, tolerated the white hatting faux pas of new mayor Rod Sykes when Sykes, who had not received the message that the Duke already possessed two Calgary White Hats from previous visits, welcomed the arriving royal with a white hat. Philip muttered, "Not another one". Then he remarked, "You must give out dozens of these things. ... I can always use it for carrying water around ... or to put flowers in when I get home". Today, thousands of white hatting ceremonies are conducted annually by Tourism Calgary and by volunteer greeters at Calgary International Airport. The white hatting ceremony for individual tourists and groups arriving at the airport began in 1991 with a staff of 45 volunteers; by 2016, that number had increased to more than 440 volunteers. Between 1991 and 2016, the airport greeters conducted close to 4,000 white hatting ceremonies for more than 12,520 visitors. The airport greeters, outfitted in white shirts, red vests, and Calgary White Hats, also answer questions and provide directions and assistance to travelers. As part of the white hatting ceremony conducted for tourists and groups, recipients are asked to recite the following oath: "I/we, havin' pleasured ourselves in the only genuine cowtown in Canada, namely Calgary, Alberta and havin' been duly exposed to exceptional amounts of heart warmin', hand shakin', foot stompin', down home, country style Western Spirit, do promise to share this here brand of Western Hospitality with all folks and critters who cross our path". The one leading the oath adds, "On the count of three, raise your hat and shout a big ole' Calgary 'YAHOO!!!'" The "YAHOO!!!" shout echoes the traditional cowboy call heard at the Calgary Stampede. ==Description==

Smithbilt Hats, the official hat maker for the Calgary Stampede, produces the Calgary White Hat in straw, canvas, Merino wool, and 100% rabbit fur. The brim of the hat is wide and curved. The brim is made narrower for women's hats. Because of its shape, the Calgary White Hat does not lend itself to variety in customization. However, Smithbilt does measure and adjust its high-end models per customer preference. The company offers a custom-designed hat box. Hat stiffening and renovation services are also available. The company notes, "If you spill your whiskey on your hat, rinse the spot immediately and brush it with your finger. Let the hat dry out naturally. Do the same for yourself". As of 2009, white hats accounted for approximately one-quarter of Smithbilt's annual sales, with yearly sales figures of 20,000 handmade wool and fur hats and 40,000 imported straw models. A white hat is also worn by each year's Calgary Stampede Queen in place of a crown; she and her ladies in waiting decorate their hats with jewels and pins. Calgary White Hats were worn by the Canadian Olympic team at the opening ceremony of the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. ==Flag of Calgary==

In 1983, the city held a contest to design a new flag. The winning entry depicts a red field bordered by horizontal white stripes across the top and bottom. The emblem on the field is a large white "C" encasing a Calgary White Hat. Among other things, the "C" represents the city of Calgary, as does the white hat. ==White Hat Awards==

In 1962, Tourism Calgary inaugurated the White Hat Awards to recognize individual achievements in the city's tourism industry. In 2016, 650 individuals were nominated in 20 categories. The 56th annual awards ceremony is scheduled for May 16, 2018. 1989 White Hatter of the Year went to professional singer/entertainer, Molly Hamilton, affectionately known as "Miss Molly". This award is given to the one person in Calgary who best demonstrated the warm and western hospitality of the city. ==See also==