Jul 25

Written by: chris
7/25/2011 

The 99th Calgary Stampede

I’m broadcasting the Travel Shows live from the 99th Calgary Stampede – the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth. And what a show! Here’s a normally serious and industrious city of over a million people that just goes nuts for ten days every July in celebration of Cowboy Culture. Everyone wears cowboy hats and boots and is intent on having a good time. Half an hour after flying in, I have my cowboy hat in place and I’m ready to go….

Will & Kate at the Calgary Stampede Parade

A perfect day for a Parade…And to kick things off in right Royal style, we get a glimpse of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Will and Kate to you and me) as they travel the route of the Parade. Then comes a cavalcade of hundreds of floats, marching bands, horses, heroes and more that takes two hours to pass by and is watched this year by 425,000 cheering aficionados – the Will and Kate factor! It’s all entertaining fun and a great launch into the first day of the Stampede this afternoon.

Cowboys…

Rodeo – this is how it all began in 1912: cowboys competing in awe-inspiring events of courage and skill based upon their cowboy lifestyle. I’m watching six major rodeo events: Bareback; Bull Riding; Barrel Racing; Saddle Bronc; Steer Wrestling; and Tie-Down Roping. Each one is a breath-taking display of man and beast, where often the horse or bull is awarded as many points as the rider. With $2 million in prize money to be won, the athletes take the competition pretty seriously. I am fortunate to have the subtleties of rodeo explained to me by a real cowboy: Jim is a Cowboy Hall of Famer who has ridden the broncs to glory in the past and we go behind the scenes to the pens where the riders are released for their 8 seconds of adrenaline rush. As the long evening light fades to twilight, I watch the thrilling Chuckwagon Races, topped off by a rollicking outdoor stage show, “Volte”, and fireworks that light up the Alberta sky.

…And Indians

It’s heartening to see the First Nations participating as enthusiastically as everyone else in this western party. The Stampede is an excellent way of learning more about First Nations culture. Proud Elders in ceremonial dress add colour to the Parade. In Stampede Park, the Indian Village represents the five tribes of the Treaty 7: the Siksika, T’suu Tina, Nakoda, Piikani and Kainai. Each day they open their tipis to visitors and stage performances of dance and song.

Prairie Oysters and Cowboy Sundae

The Calgary Stampede is also a celebration of Western Cuisine. And it’s all right here on Stampede Park. Leave all notions of dietary self-restraint behind and just enjoy the fun of heart-clogging creations like “turkey-tini” (a micro turkey dinner in a martini glass); mac and cheese pizza (yummy double comfort food); “Cowboy Sundae” (pretty beef and mashed potato looking like dessert); and doughnut burgers (maple dip, no less). I was tapped to be a Media Judge in the 2011 Stampede Best New Food Competition and so got to try them all. The winner? Kubie Korn Balls – corn fritters with Ukrainian sausage. But my most memorable Stampede cuisine was perhaps at Buzzards Restaurant where I sampled Prairies Oysters – bulls’ testicles. They were surprisingly tasty…

Midway Magic

Stampede is so much more than the richest rodeo show. Stampede Park is a vibrant collage of Midway attractions, kids’ events, food vendors (don’t forget those Kubie Korn Balls), Western art exhibitions (the photography exhibit was inspirational), agricultural attractions (my favourite: a sow with umpteen squealing piglets suckling) and great shows. This year the stars include Kate Perry, Kenny Chesney, New Kids on the Block, Backstreet Boys, Kevin Costner, Sale and Pelletier and even a human cannonball fired across Saddledome Plaza twice daily! Another attraction I find strangely compelling: the World Championship Blacksmiths’ Competition. There is such a potpourri of events and attractions here – there’s something for everyone…which is exactly what a Midway should be all about.

Stampede Friends

My Stampede experience has been facilitated and enhanced by some wonderful people in Calgary. Lindsay Jardine is the Stampede Tourism Sales Manager who set up my visit and radio broadcasts and who looks magnificent in a Fascinator. Sally Leung, Tourism Sales Coordinator, worked hard on all the details of my trip and still managed to be perky on almost no sleep. Jennifer Booth, Publicity Manager, was my effervescent guest on both my radio shows – knowledgeable and entertaining. And Hala Dehais, PR Manager at Tourism Calgary, seduced me into experiencing bulls’ balls, but was kind enough to let me escape the rigours of the mechanical bull. To all: my grateful thanks. And I can hardly imagine the excitement of next year’s 2012 Centenary Calgary Stampede!