Calgary Stampede, July 12: This guy's seen everything over 48 years Pink sunglasses for charity
Article content
There will be much to see around the grounds and on the infield — and even for someone like Stampede Rodeo camera operator Dennis Genereux, who's seen pretty much everything in his 48 years on the job, he's primed to expect the unexpected.
Article content
Article content
Article content
Article content
The former guitarist for Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, and occasional member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, Tom Morello presumably has plenty to rage against these days in his home country. The artist's solo work has always been an interesting hybrid. His most recent single — Pretend You Remember Me — is a moody and tense mid-tempo rocker full of blazing guitar riffs. In 2021, he teamed with Springsteen for a slick but powerful cover of AC/DC's Highway to Hell. He also released albums under the name The Nightwatchman, his acoustic-based left-wing alter ego. Who knows what the Stampede audience will get, but it will likely be memorable.
Article content
Article content
At their best, Alberta's Blake Reid Band recalls the Band's musical interplay. Reid also possesses a rich, expressive baritone and knack for penning country hooks and songs that seem custom-built for the stage. Check out the bluesy and dramatic Big Train and rollicking, fiddle-fuelled Penny from 2021's No Roads In to prep for the show.
Article content
Article content
Article content
Dennis Genereux has seen it all in his 48 years behind the camera at the Stampede Rodeo.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Former bullfighter clowns around at Threshermen's reunion
AUSTIN — Scott Byrne slaps a barrel and points to the cushions crammed inside. The rodeo clown, who used to be a bullfighter, says it's an escape mechanism. Reading 'wrangler' on the outside, the barrel exists to be smashed by raging bulls. When the animal bucks off a rider during a rodeo, it may turn around and run for a second shot. That's where the barrel comes in and gives the rider an escape. 'They might run behind it,' Byrne said. Scott Byrne poses beside his rodeo barrel, which acts as a punching bag for raging bulls. The 53-year-old is serving as the rodeo clown at the 69th annual Manitoba Threshermen's Reunion and Stampede. Byrne pivoted into clowning as a way to stay involved after retiring from a career of 23 years of bullfighting. (Connor McDowell / The Brandon Sun) The only problem is that the bull shifts its attention to the barrel — and bullfighters are waiting inside, hoping the cushions work well enough. The 53-year-old is the rodeo clown for the Manitoba Threshermen's Reunion and Stampede in Austin this year. He is one of thousands who return to the event every year and keep the culture alive and kicking. When asked why he makes the effort — driving out, bringing his equipment and putting on an act for the crowd — Byrne answered that it covers a few bases. After a long career at rodeos, the most important thing is he has some giving back to do. 'It's all about friends,' Byrne said. 'Being able to travel and make some money and pass it down the line.' The Brandon-area resident spent 23 years as a bullfighter. The career invited 'a lot of' broken ribs, and some hooves on his face, and when asked how often he'd been to the hospital, he responded, 'Some years you don't go at all.' Now he doesn't want to put his body on the line like he used to. He pivoted into clowning as a way to stay involved. The new role for him is keeping things light, and entertaining the crowd during a lull in the show, he said. And while it might not be life or death, it's no less important to the rodeo veteran. 'I still take it seriously, 'cause people come here to have fun,' said Byrne. 'We want them to have fun and get their money's worth.' His new task has some similarities to bullfighting. Standing in the dirt 20 minutes before his first act on Thursday evening, he said he still gets the same reaction as when he was staring at a raging bull. 'The rush is there the same,' said Byrne. 'Just before I get into the arena, my heart gets beating. Same as fighting bulls… It's the same kind of natural high, I would say.' When asked about the differences, he said clowning is more a mental act — being aware when there's a lull, and finding something to amuse the crowd. Rodeo clown Scott Byrne entertains spectators at the Manitoba Threshermen's Reunion & Stampede rodeo at Austin on Thursday evening. (Tim Smith / The Brandon Sun) While he transitions out of bullfighting, he trains the next generation to keep rodeos safe. Two men that acted as the rodeo's bullfighters this year were graduates of an annual three-day class that Byrne teaches — and they were put to the test on opening night. A few injuries piled up at the tail end of the rodeo, as multiple ambulances responded when riders were injured by bulls. Elliot Sims, the Manitoba Agricultural Museum's executive director, said the contestants left the grounds in stable condition. Sims noted that rodeo is a high-risk competition and he thanked the paramedics and bullfighters who helped de-escalate the danger. Tuesdays A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world. 'We're really appreciative of all the efforts that the bullfighters made last night,' he said. 'Incidents like this are exactly why rodeos have bullfighters. They're there to help keep the contestants safe and make sure that the animals are safe by reducing that conflict after a ride is done.' The opening night of the rodeo recorded above-average attendance, with about 1,700 people, Sims said. The event raises funds for the Manitoba Agricultural Museum, which contributes to the preservation of culture and history in this part of the province. 'It's really important for us and agriculture in general.' More than 600 volunteers help run the daily events; the event lasts till Sunday. — Brandon Sun
National Post
18-07-2025
- National Post
Raymond J. de Souza: Calgary Stampede reminder of West's relationship to the land
CALGARY — 'I want to salute the horse,' said Sgt. Major Scott Williamson, riding master of the RCMP Musical Ride at the Calgary Stampede this year. 'No horse, no Stampede. No horse, no RCMP. No horse, no Western Canada as it is,' he said. Article content I was back home in Calgary for the Stampede this year, the first time in twenty-five years. Even as a teenager, I was less than eager for the midway rides, carnival games and stomach-churning concessions. In any case, those are the same at any civic fair, wherever it may be. Article content Article content What makes the Stampede, more than the cowboy hats and pancake breakfasts, is the livestock, the animals, and – in particular — the horse. The agriculture barns, cattle judging, livestock auctioneering, rodeo and chuckwagon races put the animals that built the West front and centre. The official title (used to be, at least) the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede, and the former part survives in the agricultural component of the ten-day civic festival. Article content Article content This year the RCMP — M for 'mounted' — Musical Ride was on hand, opening their Alberta tour in Calgary. The gleaming black horses and red-serge constables are one of Canada's most distinctive symbols, so much so that they were chosen to lead the funeral procession of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Article content It's more than impressive equine choreography, though. That's the point the master of the ride was making in his tribute to the horse. The partnership between man and horse is not an equal one, but without the horse, man's capacity to live and explore the vast Canadian West would have been severely limited, if not impossible. Even ancient customs like the Indigenous buffalo hunt were made easier by the use of horses. Article content Article content The Spanish conquistadors knew that well, keeping meticulous records of each stallion and mare they brought over from Europe. The American cowboy knew that well, considering horse-thieving a capital crime. The early Parliament of Canada knew that well, passing legislation to create a 'mounted' police force in the newly acquired Rupert's Land — the North-West Mounted Police. Article content Article content No horse, no Western Canada — at least as we know it today. Article content Williamson's brief apologia for the horse was necessary. The actual 'Cowboys and Indians' of Alberta today were a bit on the defensive at the Stampede. Twenty-five years or more of environmental attacks on the western way of life — agriculture and oil, rodeo and ranching — have left their mark. Article content Environmentalists protest bovine belching; ranchers in the agricultural barns argue that cattle keep the grasslands vibrant and the grass keeps the deadly carbon at bay.
CTV News
18-07-2025
- CTV News
Penélope Cruz, Bruce Springsteen, Walter Salles and Bowen Yang are 2025 Academy Museum Gala honorees
This combination of file photos shows, clockwise from top left, Bruce Springsteen, Penélope Cruz, Walter Salles and Bowen Yang. (Invision/AP) Bruce Springsteen will take the stage as both performer and a guest of honor at one of Hollywood's most prominent fundraising events, the Academy Museum Gala. The 75-year-old rock legend is being honored alongside actors Penélope Cruz and Bowen Yang and filmmaker Walter Salles at the Oct. 18 celebration hosted by the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. The high-fashion get-together, now in its fifth year, has been positioned as a West Coast version of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art's Met Gala. It features a massive red carpet with a slew of celebrities from Hollywood and beyond, raising money for the Los Angeles museum's exhibits and education programs. Gala co-chairs include Jon M. Chu, Common, Jennifer Hudson, Viola Davis, Julius Tennon, Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey. The host committee includes Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn, Adrien Brody, Zoë Kravitz, Demi Moore, Colman Domingo, Ke Huy Quan, Meg Ryan and Amy Adams. Last year's event honored Quentin Tarantino, Rita Moreno and Paul Mescal and raised more than US$11 million. By Alicia Rancilio.
