LIVE UPDATE - # 3

My Stampede Story

Hat Hair!

Picture by ERin

I was in Calgary for 3 full days but only went to the Stampede once. This was fine because to quote the website "While the Stampede is based on the Stampede grounds, the spirit can be felt all over the city." This was true; businesses had stampede themed window paintings, tons of people were wearing cowboy hats and/or boots, restaurants had stampede specials, and the general vibe was very 'rodeo' everywhere. Anne assured me, "It isn't always like this. Oh, and all those people who are working and wearing cowboy hats - they don't want to be, but are made to. A lot of people in Calgary hate the Stampede, it's mainly for the tourists." Well, as a tourist, I loved it. The Bank of Montreal bank tellers who were in cowboy-business-casual (think crisp plaid dress shirts, cowboy boots, jean pencil skirts, khaki dress pants, Texas ties, etc.) and cowboy hats, all had BMO logo patterned bright blue bandannas tied around their necks. Woah, slow down there.

ERin and I went to Stampede on Saturday with Anne's friend and roommate S and met up with their friend K once we got there. K was sporting a black cowboy hat because, as he said, it made him look more like an outlaw and the white ones make you look like a Sheriff, or worse, the Deputy. As I looked around, turns out this was true. Anne had to work and was planning on joining us in the evening so we could all go to Nashville North, which is this huge bar tent on the grounds with dancing and drinking. It always has a long line to get in supposedly, however by about 6pm the line-up was so insane we decided to go somewhere downtown and Anne ended up meeting us there instead. The place downtown was also set up just for Stampede, in a huge tent with lots of dancing and drinking.

Since I found out that I was coming to Calgary during Stampede (it wasn't planned, I booked the flight and then a month later found out that I was going to be there during the main Calgary event) and once ERin planned to join us - Anne had set Stampede things she wanted us to do/try:
-Ride the Zipper
-Try Mini Donuts
-See the Superdogs
I gather these are her favourite things at the Stampede. She also suggested trying to go and see The Grandstand Show which was a nightly song and dance spectacle complete with fireworks and much Canadiana - super cheesy but probably should be seen once. Tickets to the show were expensive and timing was an issue so we decided to forgo it especially as the main three items on the list would provide us with a 'true Stampede experience'. I was good with it (also, I love the Zipper, which no one ever wants to go on with me, so I was very excited.) Sadly, the number of things on Anne's List that ERin and I got to - zero. I think this means we will have to go back another year, be sure to get to the grounds with Anne, and get 'er done!

I had my own little list as well. Actually it was very little, besides visiting the actual grounds at least once, I wanted to do one thing - see some type of rodeo event, preferably from a seat and not standing room. Tickets to these afternoon events were insanely expensive ranging from $50 to $300 and for the most part sold out. A quick look on Kijiji showed us that people were jacking up the prices for resale. When S heard that Erin and I were going to try to see a rodeo she jumped at the chance to be our guide. This took much of the planning pressure off as she and K negotiated Rush Ticket lines, explained strange Western Rodeo competitions, picked out prime seats, and dealt with the distracted beer sellers. It is always nice to be in the hands of experts. We got Copper Section tickets from the Rush Booth - for $20, a great deal for the 3 hour event. My Stampede List - Finished, with flying colours. I did have a slight inclining to see a goat, and obviously would have loved to get some rides in, so next time there will still be things I need to do.

The Rodeo: Just F-ing Crazy!! I have been to horse events in the past. I enjoy a nice horse show, some dressage, a race at the track either with riders or carts, and even show jumping on occasion. However, this is not your British tack-style event. These are cowboys, and cowboys are psysco. We saw all six major events – Bareback, Bull Riding, Barrel Racing, Saddle Bronc, Steer Wrestling and Tie-Down Roping, as well as, Novice Bareback, Novice Saddle Bronc, Junior Steer Riding and Wild Pony Racing. This is already a long post so I won't get into explaining the nuances of each event, but over the course of the afternoon I was able to grasp the way things were scored and figure out what was good and what wasn't. All of these events are fast, intense, and very exciting. The time flew by. However, for all the ones that involved catching and/or tying up cows/calves, I cheered for the cow and was always happy when it got away. This meant no points for the rider, but hey, way to go cow!! It was also funny to watch the bulls wander around after being ridden, as some didn't want to be herded by the officials. Way to go cow, stick it to the man!!

Final Notes: I stupidly forgot to put on sunscreen and got burnt (chest and one shoulder). I just loved my cowboy hat - covered up bad hair, kept sun out of my eyes, kept my face from getting sun burnt, made me feel part of the Stampede Spirit, and was fun to wear! However, as you can see from the above picture, it gives you some pretty bad Hat Hair, especially since I have curly hair, which means I couldn't take it off at the bar - had to rock the cowboy hat all day and all night!