The 99th Calgary Stampede

I’m broadcasting the Travel Shows live from the 99^th Calgary Stampede – the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth. And what a show! Here’s a normally serious and industrious city of over a million people that just goes nuts for ten days every July in celebration of Cowboy Culture. Everyone wears cowboy hats and boots and is intent on having a good time. Half an hour after flying in, I have my cowboy hat in place and I’m ready to go….

Will & Kate at the Calgary Stampede Parade

A perfect day for a Parade…And to kick things off in right Royal style, we get a glimpse of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Will and Kate to you and me) as they travel the route of the Parade. Then comes a cavalcade of hundreds of floats, marching bands, horses, heroes and more that takes two hours to pass by and is watched this year by 425,000 cheering aficionados – the Will and Kate factor! It’s all entertaining fun and a great launch into the first day of the Stampede this afternoon.

Cowboys…

Rodeo – this is how it all began in 1912: cowboys competing in awe-inspiring events of courage and skill based upon their cowboy lifestyle. I’m watching six major rodeo events: Bareback; Bull Riding; Barrel Racing; Saddle Bronc; Steer Wrestling; and Tie-Down Roping. Each one is a breath-taking display of man and beast, where often the horse or bull is awarded as many points as the rider. With $2 million in prize money to be won, the athletes take the competition pretty seriously. I am fortunate to have the subtleties of rodeo explained to me by a real cowboy: Jim is a Cowboy Hall of Famer who has ridden the broncs to glory in the past and we go behind the scenes to the pens where the riders are released for their 8 seconds of adrenaline rush. As the long evening light fades to twilight, I watch the thrilling Chuckwagon Races, topped off by a rollicking outdoor stage show, “Volte”, and fireworks that light up the Alberta sky.

…And Indians

It’s heartening to see the First Nations participating as enthusiastically as everyone else in this western party. The Stampede is an excellent way of learning more about First Nations culture. Proud Elders in ceremonial dress add colour to the Parade. In Stampede Park, the Indian Village represents the five tribes of the Treaty 7: the Siksika, T’suu Tina, Nakoda, Piikani and Kainai. Each day they open their tipis to visitors and stage performances of dance and song.

Prairie Oysters and Cowboy Sundae

The Calgary Stampede is also a celebration of Western Cuisine. And it’s all right here on Stampede Park. Leave all notions of dietary self-restraint behind and just enjoy the fun of heart-clogging creations like “turkey-tini” (a micro turkey dinner in a martini glass); mac and cheese pizza (yummy double comfort food); “Cowboy Sundae” (pretty beef and mashed potato looking like dessert); and doughnut burgers (maple dip, no less). I was tapped to be a Media Judge in the 2011 Stampede Best New Food Competition and so got to try them all. The winner? Kubie Korn Balls – corn fritters with Ukrainian sausage. But my most memorable Stampede cuisine was perhaps at Buzzards Restaurant where I sampled Prairies Oysters – bulls’ testicles. They were surprisingly tasty…