By: Reginald Tiangha
Concerts highlight the week ahead at Stampede Park with MUSE, Korn, DJ David Guetta, and John Mayer all making appearances here in the next seven days.
The girls and I had a wonderful time at Aggie Days last week. If you haven’t taken part in these fun filled agriculture focused days then you are missing out! Wednesday, Thursday and Friday we had the pleasure of riding grand entry for the Aggie Days Rodeo. We were thrilled to be back in the saddle and riding in the Corral again. The last time we rode grand entry was during the competition so we were having deja vu as we entered the arena. The rodeo was put on for hundreds of screaming school kids who were excited to be up close and personal with the dirt kicking, hard bucking action. Following the rodeo we joined the other cowboys and cowgirls in the dirt to sign autographs for our eager fans. The kids sounded like they were having an amazing day learning about agriculture, and the rodeo was the icing on the cake!
Our phenomenal weekend ended with a bang when 2009 Stampede Princess Kateri Cowley won the Extreme Cowboy Competition! She will now be competing during the 2010 Calgary Stampede. Way to go Kateri, we are so proud of you!
I am looking forward to riding in more grand entries this spring. Get your cowboys hats ready Calgary, Rodeo season is well on it’s way!
Janelle
By: Reginald Tiangha
Aggie Days may be over, but Stampede Park is as busy as ever with no less than 10 different events happening this week!
A taste: the Oldtimers’ Hockey Challenge, Family-a-Fair, GO Green Expo, the Outdoor Adventure & Travel Show, the PGA of Alberta Golf Show, the National Women in Business Expo, Tim McGraw, and Hedley.
By: Reginald Tiangha
On Saturday, Craig Cameron continued a clinic started on Friday to try to teach 24 cowboys and cowgirls the equestrian skills and techniques needed to survive the Extreme Cowboy Race, a new event that will make its Canadian debut at the 2010 Calgary Stampede.
In what could be described as a boot camp for cowpokes, the first part of Saturday’s clinic had the participants run through several drills that had them learning how to improve (or learning for the first time, it appeared in some cases) skills such as turning without stopping and how to stop quickly with minimal effort. For the most part, the ladies dominated the clinic, easily outperforming the guys in terms of equestrian skill, with former Stampede Princess Kateri Cowley leading the charge.
The second part of Saturday’s clinic had the participants tackling obstacles that will make an appearance in the race. Participants had to go through various jumps, bridges, and areas where the horse and riders had to back through, all simulating the types of things they can expect in a real competition.
All of this preparation that the participants have been putting in the last couple of days will be put to the test on Sunday when all 24 will participate in an exhibition competition of the Extreme Cowboy Race. This event will take place at 1:15 p.m. in the Stampede Corral, and will be an excellent taste of things to come at the official Calgary Stampede Cowboy Up Challenge in July.
By: Reginald Tiangha
Hundreds showed up this morning to participate in the free pancake breakfast being offered by volunteer members of the Calgary Stampede’s Caravan committee. The first thousand people with admission to either Aggie Days, the Acreage Lifestyle Show, or Rural Routes were treated to a free pancake breakfast in the Stampede Corral.
If you missed out today, there’ll be another breakfast tomorrow when the doors open at 10 a.m. If you find yourself still hungry, make sure to stop by the Alberta Fare Cafe in the BMO Centre where they’re serving a variety of snacks and meal options, many sourced locally from around Alberta. I’m having the Canadian Rocky Mountain Bison Sandwich with Pearson Saskatoon Aioli myself as I’m writing this, and I have to say, it’s very delicious!
By: Reginald Tiangha
Harry the Horse, the Stampede Royalty, and the Indian Princess were all on hand to meet and greet the children who were able to make it down to Stampede Park to experience Aggie Days today.
As part of the festivities, a rodeo was put on highlighting some of the events that you would typically see at a Stampede Rodeo. Things such as Saddle Bronc, Bull Riding, and Barrel Racing were all on display, much to the delight of the children who could be heard hootin’ and hollerin’ from all sides of the Stampede Corral as they cheered on the cowboys and cowgirls as they performed in their various events. Some of the participants made themselves available for autographs after the event, which made many children happy.
By: Reginald Tiangha
Hope everyone remembered to set your clocks forward one hour because we’ve got a jam-packed week ahead at Stampede Park! Highlights this week include Aggie Days sponsored by Encana (alongside an Extreme Cowboy Race clinic and demonstration, an all new event which will be debuting at the 2010 Calgary Stampede!), the Calgary Co-op Grape Escape, and The Young Canadians’ spring concert.
Details on these events and much more, after the jump.
I hope everyone is enjoying the wonderful weather. March has been fantastic so far! Our schedule has been light the past couple of weeks with only the Tarp Auction on March 4th. Katie and Kirstie have finally had the chance to catch up on their school work and the break has allowed me to accept quite a few substitute teaching jobs. Next week we will jump right back into action with Aggie Days. Come on down to the Stampede grounds from March 17th – 21st to join us!
Every month we attend “Happy Trails” events with the Promotions committee. For these events we visit seniors homes and spend the evening singing and line dancing with the residents. We love these events because the people are always happy to visit with us and we can practice our dancing skills. At our last “Happy Trails” event we debuted our newest shirts, the tie-dye! These are definitely the brightest articles of clothing in our closets and the residents absolutely loved them.
Watch out Calgary, you won’t be able to miss us now!
I have been an avid reader for as long as I can remember. There’s nothing so wonderful as getting completely lost in a good book! I was therefore THRILLED when we recently attended events in which we spent time reading with elementary school children. It was so much fun sharing some of my favourite childhood books with them, and answering their questions about being Stampede Royalty (they sure had a LOT of them!). Janelle was even asked if she lived in a castle… we all got a real kick out of that one! Though we truly enjoy all of the events we attend, there’s something to be said for seeing a child’s eyes light up when they see you. It is moments such as those, and having the ability to positively impact others, that really makes being Stampede Royalty so incredibly rewarding!
Until next time,
Katie
By: Killa Burkinshaw
The 2010 Calgary International Auto Show and CKOC All Breed Show highlight the week ahead at Stampede Park. Details on these events and more, after the jump.
By: Reginald Tiangha
Highlights this week include the Calgary Bull Sale, the Stampede Canvas Auction, Megadeth, and Sarah Palin.