My Stampede

Being at the Calgary Stampede always floods me with memories of my dad. He loved the atmosphere of the Stampede, the agriculture, but most of all he loved the Chuckwagon Races. Just as my dad did, I now share my enthusiasm for the Stampede with my kids. We all love it and it is a big part of our summer family tradition.

Stacie
Calgary, Alberta

For as long as I can remember, our family trip to Stampede followed the same rituals - locate cowboy hats for everyone, ensure all of the jackets were stuffed into the carry bag (along with a damp facecloth in a plastic bag to clean up after the cotton candy stop) and, on arrival, the instruction to "stay together, but if you get lost go immediately to the clock tower and we'll come find you." The clock tower was always the meeting place of choice 'cause you could see it from everywhere on the Park. Problem was, tens of thousands of the other people enjoying Stampede had the same meeting place so when you were there you had LOTS of company with the other lost folks and it took forever to find the group looking for you. No one worried much though, since most everyone there was in the same boat it actually became the "party within a party" every year!

Bev Blue
Calgary, Alberta

I grew up in Choteau, Montana, the youngest son in a rodeo family. My father Stan and brother Will are both announcers, and as a kid I travelled to rodeos across the United States with them. The reason I got into clowning, however, wasn't because it was a life-long dream; I always talked about how I didn't think rodeo clowns were very funny, so my dad and brother kind of dared me to do it.

It was back in 1987 when I took the dare, and started working rodeos in the summer to pay for my college tuition. After graduating, I briefly became a high school teacher but missed the thrill of rodeo and in 1994, I made the transition to a professional full-time clown.

Our family always talked about this great rodeo five hours north of us in Calgary. When I got the call in 1999 asking if I would like to be the barrelman for the 2000 Calgary Stampede, I couldn't believe it. I was more then ready to jump in to entertain the massive crowds at the Calgary Stampede.

When I arrived in Calgary in 2000 for the first time it was overwhelming, intimidating and thrilling for a small town Montana boy. I will never forget the sights and sounds of the fans when I walked through the side gate into the infield. I still get the rush of excitement when I arrive in Calgary. The daily butterflies start for me when I walk through the tunnel and come up on the backside of the infield and I catch the smell of the dirt, shavings and livestock - that's when I know another exciting day at the Calgary Stampede is about to begin.

I love music and performers so when I do have some down time I love to be able to catch the concerts in the Saddledome and enjoy a few nights at the Chuckwagon races. That is My Stampede.

Flint Rasmussen
Choteau, Montana