Each year, the annual fair currently known as K-Days invites special needs children between the ages of three and 12 where the kids have a chance to enjoy the rides and the midway at their own speed.

Adding to the excitement are an assortment of sports celebrities, armed forces personnel, police and firefighters.

For close to 40 years, the Edmonton Eskimos have been privileged to take part in Monday Morning Magic. Players, cheerleaders and staff take part in the experience, which as every bit as rewarding to them as it’s exciting for the kids.

Edmonton Northlands has been gracious enough to recognize how much the Eskimos organization has done to make it a date that everybody involved looks forward to.

On April 15, on Northlands Volunteer Appreciation Night, the Eskimos organization has been chosen and will receive a Northlands Ambassador Award for their work over the years.

Even as a youngster, Eskimos long snapper Ryan King was aware how much the program meant to the community.

“That’s been something that’s been in the papers and on TV forever and ever,” said King. “Ever since I was a little boy growing up in Sherwood Park, I’ve been aware it’s been a big thing for the Eskimos. With the number of people we can send to it, it’s always good to see not only the players, but the coaches, the cheerleaders and the whole staff. It’s very clear that Eskimos are huge supporters of Monday Morning Magic.”

It’s an especially magical time for the kids, some of which keep coming back year after year and continue to form special relationships with the players.

“We see a lot of the special needs kids in the community in different events that we do but I feel that’s the one that means everything to them,” said King. “That’s their event, put on for them and everybody they’d want to see in the city is going to come to see them. I think it’s a really cool event.”

Even though he had been aware of Monday Morning Magic long before he donned the Green and Gold of his hometown team, getting a chance to be right in the thick of what he’d been observing has given King an up-close and personal perspective.

“Any time you get to deal with special needs kids, it’s extra special,” said King. “You can see in their eyes that they’re going to remember this for a long time. The impact you can have on a kid’s life in a small period of time is pretty cool to see. I’d never been a part of it until I started playing for the Eskimos and it’s pretty cool to see how the team becomes involved in the event.

“One of the coolest things for me, this will be the fifth year I’ve gone, is you see the same kids come in, the same parents. It’s cool to be a player that has been there a multiple of times so you can motivate the new players and get them to put some effort into this event. It means a ton for their kids, a ton for their parents and families. These families are having a tough time in certain ways and for them to have a special day dedicated to them means a lot to us.”

Of all the charity events and appearances the Eskimos are involved with during the calendar year, nothing attracts quite the same attention as Monday Morning Magic. It’s a unique event on a once-a-year backdrop

“The team does a ton of community stuff and as a community-owned team, we’re always going to do that,” said King. “From the very top down, Monday Morning Magic is one of the key staples of community events the team will do every year. For the amount of kids that care about it, there’s a huge turnout. You can see from the moment the kids arrive, they’ve got their faces painted, the kids are there getting their cotton candy and all the sno-cones they can eat. They have unlimited rides, all the autographs and picture that you’d want from players to cheerleaders.

“Everything from sitting in a police cruiser to a fire truck or an ambulance. It’s just cool to see how big of an event it is for the city of Edmonton. You can tell this is something the Eskimos are very proud of. To be part of it is an honour.”