Alex Astika and Glenn Bowers are a couple of a small number of people in the Medicine Hat area who are celebrating a leap year birthday. (Eli Ridder/CHAT News)

By Jesse Gill

Southern Alberta leap year babies celebrate Leap Day birthdays

Feb 29, 2024 | 1:51 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Today is something that comes around only once every four years.

February 29, 2024 is leap day. For those who have a birthday on this day, it gives them a chance to celebrate on the actual date.

The odds of being a leap year baby, also know as a leapling, leaper, or leapster, are only about one in 1,500.

With those numbers, you can expect there to be only about 60 people with this birthday living right around Medicine Hat. The odds of twins being born on leap day are even more rare at one in 50,000.

This is the case for Glenn Bowers, who lives in Redcliff and was born Feb. 29, 1960 along with his twin sister Sue, who now lives in Kelowna. This makes them 64, or the sweet 16 with leap year birthdays.

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Glenn said others notice his leap year birthday.

“Well it certainly raises a lot of interest in people,” Bower said.

“My twin sister in Kelowna, the pharmacists said, ‘oh, you’re a leap year baby, and then coupled with being a twin’,” he added.

“People are interested and they pick up on it quite regularly actually.”

Glenn also shares the Feb. 29 birthday with the son of a family friend, who he celebrates his birthday with each year.

Alex Astika is turning 12 this year, celebrating only his third birthday on the actual date.

Astika is looking forward to enjoying this day, especially later with some of his friends.

“Well the past years I can’t really remember, but this year, I know that [for] me, my mom is letting me and my other three friends stay up until about 12 watching movies and stuff,” Astika said.

Dean Blezard grew up near Sceptre, Saskatchewan and only knew of one other person born on Leap Day from that area.

He has travelled with his wife on his leap year birthday in the past, but plans on going out for supper this year. Blezard turns 60, but gets to share his leap year age with his oldest grandson, who is 15.

“Most people can’t figure out how old I am if I tell them I’m a leap year baby, they cannot figure out. It’s amazing, most people can’t divide by four. It’s been no problem for me,” Blezard said.

“It’s always been good but I said it’s a unique birthday. There isn’t too many of us out there.”

Rod Insko is turning the big 18 in leap years, which makes him 72. He plans on going out for supper with his brother tonight. Insko says there has always been humour attached to his birthday.

“My wife used to say I’d acted like a six-year-old and stuff,” Insko said.

“Things like that, you know, and my mother used to tell me it was no 29th this year. You know, you gotta wait until the next four years,” he added.

“Things like that. But, lots of jokes.”

Glenn Bowers says being able to have a couple of people close to him who share the same birthday makes the day even more special when it comes around every four years.

“From the day Alex was born we were at the hospital when he was born that day,” Bowers said.

“Because obviously it was my birthday, it was quite unique and so we’ve known them for well Alex’s entire life and them longer than that.”

Next year these leaplings will be back to celebrating on Feb. 28 until the next leap year in 2028.

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