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Chris Hadfield A Shining Star As Calgary Stampede Parade Marshal (PHOTOS, TWEETS)

LOOK: 'Space Cowboy' Is Stampede Parade Shining Star

He may only be one day into his retirement, but Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield had some big boots to fill when he took to the Calgary Stampede parade route Friday morning.

Hadfield rose to Canadian celebrity status for his recent five-month stint aboard the International Space Station, but on Friday morning he slipped his feet into a brand new pair of custom-made cowboy boots to become the parade marshal for the 101st Calgary Stampede parade.

"One horsepower - Jag and I are ready to ride!" he tweeted to his followers early Friday, along with a picture of the pure-white horse he would ride from beginning to end of the parade route.

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Looking like a true "Space Cowboy" - a nickname affectionately given by the people of Calgary when they learned Hadfield would lead the parade - Hadfield came ready to ride in the requisite white hat, cowboy shirt, blue jeans and belt buckle.

To round out his cowboy attire, Hadfield sported a pair of cowboy boots adorned with a maple leaf on the back and the official mission patch from the ISS on the front.

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Hundreds of thousands of Calgarians lined the parade route to catch a glimpse of Hadfield, Mayor Naheed Nenshi, Premier Alison Redford and dozens of marching bands, floats and dance troupes.

Calgary's first responders - the men and women of the city's emergency services who were on the front lines of recent floods that left much of Calgary under water - were given a special place in the front of the parade to walk and wave to all the people they helped over the past two weeks.

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Chris Hadfield At The Stampede Parade

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