Latest news with #GreatestOutdoorShow
Calgary Herald
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
Calgary Stampede, July 7: Robot Rodeo set to begin Military display seeing heavy foot traffic
Article content 'Even though it's gone through a number of changes, there are three underlying principles that have guided the chuckwagon races since Day 1,' said Melville, who loves talking about the sport his grandfather, Orville Strandquist, excelled in at as both a driver and an outrider for seven decades up until the 1990s. Article content Article content While the Calgary Stampede is not likely to lose its boastful moniker 'The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth,' organizers of the 10-day spectacle have been taking great effort in recent years to add to its branding to emphasize there is more than a rodeo happening at Stampede Park. Article content Article content It is also being sold as 'The Greatest Music Festival in the West,' a testament to the eclectic music programming that takes over four venues on the Stampede grounds. Article content Where else can you watch fireworks 10 days in a row? Calgary has the special privilege of a spectacular nighttime show starting at around 11 p.m. from July 4 to 13 while the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth takes over the city. Article content Want to know where you can best see the fireworks? Here are the four best spots to take in the Stampede fireworks from around the city. Article content Stampede Park Article content While not free, this option gets you the best possible view. The fireworks shoot off right after the Grandstand show ends and you can get the best close-up view while on the Midway or right outside the rodeo grounds. Article content Article content Scotsman's Hill Article content This spot has the best free vantage point. It is right across the river from the Stampede grounds in the community of Ramsey. Article content Scotsman's Hill a very popular spot for fireworks viewing so show up early to find a spot to park and sit. Getting dropped off by a generous family member or a ride-share or taxi is a great option.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Calgary Stampede: What the 'Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth' says about the economy
The first Calgary Stampede was held in 1912, but the event known as the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth has exploded in growth, attracting nearly 1.5 million people last year. Economists say the Stampede acts as a bellwether for the overall provincial economy and sets the stage for how people are feeling. (Paula Duhatschek/CBC - image credit) The purple toasted cob of corn shines under the afternoon sun as 25-year-old Allison Zhou lifts it up to show her friends on the opening day of the Calgary Stampede. It's ube-flavoured and covered in white and black sesame seeds. The cost? $15. "Overpriced, but it's my first Stampede," said Zhou, who moved to the city a few months ago from Toronto. "It's very unique, so I'm down to try it." Advertisement At the midpoint of 2025, it's been a tough rodeo for Canada's economy so far, ever since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, sparking a tumultuous trade war with wide-ranging impacts on consumer spending, jobs and travel plans. For all the talk of a recession, there are few signs of economic hardship as the "Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth." as the Stampede bills itself, kicks off in Calgary — a 10-day long celebration with midway rides, bucking broncos and dozens of concerts. Allison Zhou tries out ube-flavoured corn as she enjoys her first Calgary Stampede. (Paula Duhatschek/CBC) Splurging and hunting for deals Colton Denis, 17, bought a SuperPass and plans to attend every single day of the Calgary Stampede. Advertisement Does he have a budget? "Heck no. Spend all of it," he joked, while walking to the midway looking for pizza. "10 out of 10. This is going to be awesome." It's not just teenagers in the mood to splurge. Doug Coleman, 64, is visiting from the Maritimes to take in the festivities, and he hopes to see singer Shania Twain, this year's parade marshal, who will also be performing. This week, Coleman is firmly putting aside any thought of fiscal restraint. "I'll be OK. It's just a tap," said Coleman, motioning how he'll be paying with his credit card. "I'll buy what I want. I deserve it." Parade marshal Shania Twain rides a horse Friday as she leads the Calgary Stampede parade through the city's downtown. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press) There's less talk about being frugal in favour of shelling out cash for a good time. Advertisement Some of the menu items on the midway include a $26 bucket of crocodile-themed lemonade, a $13 jumbo corndog, and a $16 basket of garlic parmesan fries. General admission tickets are now $25 for an adult, compared to $18 in 2015. For all the extravagant spending and often hefty price tags at an event like the Stampede, some people feel like they can still find a bargain. Fred Parafina, 55, sports a big grin as he holds up two pairs of Lane snake-skin boots he bought for his wife at a western wear shop near the midway. They're her favourite brand, and he called the $200 he spent an "amazing" deal. Advertisement WATCH | Why the Stampede can be a bellwether for the economy: Record-setting chuckwagon auction set the tone The Stampede is home to the most famous chuckwagon race in the world, known as the "Half-Mile of Hell." A few months before the race, companies bid on the chance to sponsor each team and have their logos displayed on the canvas covering each wagon. The 2025 tarp auction set a record for the highest average bid. The total tally of $3.84 million fell just short of the all-time high of $4.015 million set in 2012 — the Stampede's centennial year — which included 36 drivers, compared to 27 this year. Reigning chuckwagon champion Jason Glass takes centre stage at the 2025 tarp auction in April as companies bid on the chance to sponser teams competing in the Stampede's famous chuckwagon race. (CBC) At the April auction, reigning chuckwagon champion Jason Glass hauled in the top individual bid of $230,000 from Birchcliff Energy, surpassing last year's biggest bid by $20,000. Advertisement At the time, Glass called the result of the bidding "a great relief," considering the economic volatility and trade uncertainty was prominently on everyone's mind on the eve of the auction. But the economic worries of a few months ago seem largely in the rearview mirror, at least in Alberta. Oil prices this year have repeatedly soared and plummeted, like riding the Outlaw roller-coaster. Resource-based provinces including Alberta, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador are generally fairing better than trade and manufacturing-focused provinces such as Quebec and Ontario. Staycations and American visitors a boon Stampede attendance soared to an all-time high in 2024, with 1,477,953 visitors, surpassing the previous record set in 2012. Advertisement Organizers are expecting similar numbers this year, possibly even bigger ones. Various passes are selling well, while premium seats for the rodeo and chuckwagons sold out before Stampede began. "There are a lot of people staying closer to home this year," said Stampede spokesperson Julie Forget. "This is one of the biggest events in Canada, and I think it's on a lot of people's bucket list to come and check out." Fewer Americans are travelling north of the border to Canada this year, although Calgary is proving to be an outlier. In April, 8.9 per cent fewer U.S. residents made the trip to Canada compared to the same month in 2024, according to Statistics Canada. Advertisement The number of Americans travelling specifically by air to major Canadian airports showed a drop of six per cent in April . However, at the Calgary International Airport, the figures were completely different , with U.S. arrivals up by 29 per cent. "We think people are going to be staying closer to home and perhaps going to the Stampede," said ATB Financial chief economist Mark Parsons, who is also expecting another record-setting year for attendance. "We also see Americans continue to come to Alberta and that bodes well for visitor spending." Despite the fact that Canada is in the middle of a trade war and consumer sentiment has been rattled by inflation in recent years, there's optimism in Alberta, Parsons says, with the first-ever liquified natural gas exports this week, renewed enthusiasm to build major energy projects in the country, and relatively low interest rates. Advertisement Calgary's population is booming, too, with nearly 100,000 new residents in 2024. Parsons says the Stampede is a bellwether of the overall Alberta economy because "it really sets the stage for how people are feeling." Stampede attendance reached an all-time high in 2024 with 1,477,953 visitors, surpassing the previous record set in 2012. Organizers are expecting similar numbers this year, if not higher ones. (Paula Duhatschek/CBC) And people like Calgarian Todd Scott are feeling excited. He's arrived at the Stampede grounds with four kids in tow. His budget is "unlimited," and with food, rides and carnival games, he expects money will quickly go out the window. "The whole thing is a splurge."
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Let's go, cowgirls!': Country icon Shania Twain leads Stampede Parade
Canadian-born country music superstar Shania Twain said it's an honour to lead the Stampede parade to kick off the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth. 'It's been a dream of mine for a very long time,' said Twain, this year's parade marshal who will also perform at the Saddledome on Saturday night. 'I get to take full advantage of the Stampede, enjoy the whole spirit of the Stampede, and this historic event that people come from all over the world to attend.' Twain said she's particularly thrilled to be leading the parade on horseback. 'I'm going to be riding a horse in the parade — this makes me very happy,' she said. 'Personally, I am just a very basic, simple rider,' she said. 'I won't be doing any trick riding or barrel racing while I'm here, although that would have been wonderful.' Despite the gathered crowds, Twain said she doesn't view the parade as a performance. 'I see this more as a welcoming,' she said. 'I feel like I'm representing something very important, and I'll be doing it with pride and joy. 'I'll have a smile stuck to my face the whole time.' She called being in Calgary for the Stampede 'very special.' 'This is the community that lives my dream every day, being so close to horses,' she said. 'This is something that I admire and envy.' Twain was presented with her official parade marshal badge before the parade — but with great power comes great responsibility. 'Following in the bootsteps of the parade marshals who have gone before you, you will spread fun — I'm sure you will — western spirit, which you have, and plenty of 'Yahoos' for one and all along the road,' said Blair Barkley, chair of the Stampede parade committee. Many of the parade's floats and bands honoured Twain's presence by playing her music — including the Stampede Showband, which started the parade off with a medley of her greatest hits. Calgary police estimate that 330,000 spectators flocked to downtown Calgary to watch the parade, which is the second largest in North America. It featured more than 100 entries, including 35 floats, nine marching bands, representatives of the Treaty 7 First Nations and more than 700 horses. Politicians including Danielle Smith, Pierre Poilievre and Jyoti Gondek smiled and waved at onlookers as they went by — some on horseback and others in wagons. Many local cultural associations, such as the Nigerian-Canadian Association of Calgary and the United Calgary Chinese Association, entertained crowds with music, dancing and colourful attire. The parade kicked off at 9 a.m., with parade prelude performances starting at 7:45 — but many arrived early to get the best seats. Some, like Becky Bowie, have been there since 4:30 a.m. Bowie is a first-time visitor to Calgary from Atlanta, Ga., who came for the Stampede with a friend and her four grandsons. 'I don't know what to expect, but I just hear it's fantastic,' Bowie said, seated in a lawn chair in front of the Calgary Tower at 7 a.m. 'When I heard there was going to be 300,000 people, I thought, 'We gotta get here early.' ' Following the parade, crowds flocked to Stampede Park, taking advantage of free admission between 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
CTV News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
First Flip Pancake Breakfast serves as unofficial Calgary Stampede kickoff
Visitors walk along the midway at the Calgary Stampede in Calgary, Saturday, July 8, 2017. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh) As the start of the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth nears closer, Calgary Stampede events are kicking off around the city. The First Flip, an annual pancake breakfast, marks the unofficial start of Stampede for many people. Festivities for the event start on Stephen Avenue at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday. Pancake lovers will get to hear music from The Frontiers and Mackenzie Brown. There will also be Greenfools Theatre and the Chinook Line Dancers keeping people entertained. The formal program then gets underway at 8 a.m. Premier Danielle Smith, Mayor Jyoti Gondek and the federal minister of emergency management and community resilience will all be speaking. They'll then role up their sleeves and man the grill for a bit. Another pancake breakfast is happening at the Calgary Dream Centre Thursday at 9 a.m. NDP Naheed Nenshi and Jason Nixon, Minister of Assisted Living and Social Services will be working it. These breakfasts are held leading up to sneak-a-peek, which will give thousands of people early access to Stampede Park. The official kickoff to the Calgary Stampede is the parade Friday morning. CTV News will have pre-parade coverage starting at 6 a.m., and will then livestream the parade online and on TV at starting at 8:55 a.m.
Hamilton Spectator
5 days ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Calgary Stampede announcer's career turns 40: ‘Might as well do another 40'
PONOKA, ALBERTA - It was August 1983 at the Hand Hills Lake Stampede and Les McIntyre had just fallen out of his chuckwagon. As he remembers it, McIntyre had made a sharp turn, hit a competitor's wagon and tumbled to the ground at no less than 40 kilometres an hour. When he hit the ground, another wagon following behind hit him, knocking McIntyre out cold and resulting in a career-ending back injury before the age of 30. He spent the next week in a Calgary hospital bed. 'That was the end of that party,' says McIntyre, now 71. He'd dreamt as a child to one day compete in the chucks at the Calgary Stampede. Two years later, just as he was preparing to begin schooling to become an auctioneer, he was asked if he'd be able to call the upcoming chuckwagon races in Trochu, Alta. 'I lied through my teeth and said, 'Oh yeah, you bet.' I'd never called one in my life.' So began a career calling rodeos and chuckwagon races across Alberta, and eventually at the Calgary Stampede — a career that reaches the 40-year milestone this summer. 'I fell out of a wagon and fell into announcing,' says McIntyre, reflecting on his career-ending injury. 'Looking back, it was probably the best thing that ever happened to me.' McIntyre's voice will flood the speakers at GMC Stadium this year for every chuckwagon race at the Calgary Stampede, which begins Friday. It will be his 17th year calling the Stampede after taking up the mantle from legendary Stampede announcer Joe Carberry in 2008. In doing so, the lifelong resident of Vulcan, Alta., and longtime auctioneer will continue a four-decade-long streak in which he's never missed a job, whether it's for the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth or an early spring race in northern Alberta. Early in his career, he would call more than 120 chuckwagon races and rodeos per summer, a number that has dropped to about 80 annually. One of his first lapses came just a few weeks ago when he slept through a morning production meeting in Medicine Hat, Alta. 'I missed my first production meeting in 40 years, but I've never missed a performance,' he says. McIntyre credits his longevity to a few key principles. He's never been a smoker and rarely drinks alcohol and coffee, to keep his vocal cords healthy. As for his natural ability to call such a fast-paced sport, McIntyre says his success is partly owed to his background in auctioneering. He grew up on a cattle farm and frequently delivered livestock to the High River auction market and Calgary stockyards, where he first witnessed auctioneers at work. He got into the business himself in 1986 after going to auction school in Billings, Mont., and was a livestock auctioneer until 2001. The career gifted him with the ability to think and speak fast, he says. 'If you never sell anything in your life, I always say the best public speaking and public relations course would be to go to auction school ... They take the shyness out of you.' Every rodeo he calls is slightly different from the other. At the Calgary Stampede, he says, most spectators know little about the sport, so he often provides a brief commentary on the sport's history. '(Spectators) think, 'What on earth are these coconuts doing out there?'' He's also more keen in Calgary to explain to spectators what happens when a horse gets injured, or those horses' backgrounds prior to chuckwagon racing. He describes the circuit as 'the largest horse rescue society' in Western Canada, as most chuck breeds are retired from horse racing. 'I guarantee you that we can get a horse into the hospital and treat it a lot quicker than you can get a human being into the hospital today,' he says. Explaining the sport isn't a problem at rural rodeos around Alberta such as the Ponoka Stampede, the final prelude to the Calgary Stampede that happens the week before in central Alberta, he says. 'It's not as much explaining in Ponoka,' he says. McIntyre says he has slowed down his life in small ways. He's trimmed his workload in recent years by handing off the early afternoon rodeo job to young announcers. But he believes there's no reason his vocal cords can't last as long as his brain. He credits his wife, Kelly, with keeping him in shape and eating healthy. And when asked if he plans to quit any time soon, he gives a flat answer: no. 'I think 40 is a good number. Might as well do another 40.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 3, 2025. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
