Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth
Exploring the Calgary Stampede with Iron Horses
By Dustin A. Woods. Photos by Dan Lim | The Moto Moto
Until a Canadian hockey team wins another long-awaited Stanley Cup, the Calgary Stampede is perhaps the single biggest festivity this country has to offer. The city known as “Cowtown” pulls out all the stops for a celebration of Western heritage and culture that pretty much shuts down all of Calgary for its duration. Even the courthouse closes, I’m told.
From the moment we touched down, it was clear that this event was unlike anything we had previously experienced. We would also need cowboy hats and Western shirts if we didn’t want to feel like outsiders, since everyone we came across was wearing them – from our cab drivers and restaurant servers to the guys doing valet at the Calgary Marriott Downtown, where we were staying. Western wear is not only encouraged, it’s actually mandatory in the VIP areas of the Stampede grounds. Bros showing up in sleeveless shirts with backward ball caps, shorts and flip flops will be turned away at the door.
STETSONS OVER SUITS
Over the 97 years of its existence, the 10-day event has become an integral part of Calgary’s identity. After all, even the city’s CFL team is called the Calgary Stampeders. The Stampede is to Calgary what Mardi Gras is to New Orleans, Oktoberfest is to Munich, St. Paddy’s Day is to Boston … you get the idea. Suits are traded for Stetsons, and workplace productivity all but grinds to a halt for everyone who isn’t part of the service and hospitality industry.
Because rental cars are boring and public transit is for suckers, photographer Dan Lim and I decided to rent a couple of bikes to explore the city during our stay. Since we planned on riding out into the Rocky Mountains after, we opted for baggers that could do double duty for urban exploration and long-distance touring. Road Glide® and Street Glide® models suitably struck that balance. Diane from Calgary Harley-Davidson was like our personal travel agent, concierge and Den Mother, taking care of the paperwork, setting us up with the bikes, providing helpful route suggestions and offering up rain gear.
Through initial research of things to see and do while in Calgary, we discovered that the city is finally getting on the craft beer bandwagon. Thanks to shockingly recent amendments to Prohibition-era brewing laws, entrepreneurial microbreweries and distilleries are popping up all over the city. Over the course of the trip, we had the opportunity to visit the Dandy Brewing Company, Tool Shed Brewing Company and Trolley 5, as well as sample spirits from the Eau Claire Distillery at Bar C on 17th Avenue – all when we were done riding for the day, of course.
FROM BARLEY TO BARLEY SOUP
The roots of Stampede go back to the late 1800s, when the Calgary and District Agricultural Society held a fair. American promoter Guy Weadick is credited with creating the Stampede as it’s known today after organizing the city’s first rodeo festival in 1912. It returned in 1919 to celebrate the soldiers coming home from the First World War, before finally becoming an annual event in 1923.
Touted as the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth, Stampede attracts as many as 1.2 million visitors every year with a rodeo, midway, agricultural fair, parades, concerts and live shows. What separates Stampede from other annual exhibitions and fairs is how much the whole city and population embrace it. Stages are set up around the city to showcase country music, and there are pancake breakfasts for all to enjoy. We partook in one such event at Rope Square, which has been offering up free flapjacks during Stampede since 1947. How had I never thought to put bacon inside a pancake before? My life will forever be changed.
Stampede is also the highlight of the North American rodeo circuit. A prestigious invitational, it’s often compared to the Super Bowl of rodeo events on the summer tour. Cowboys come from all over North America to compete, with pride and a significant amount of money on the line. Cruising around the grounds on our iron horses before the festivities began, we came across David Cowley and his palomino quarter horse Tucker, who were practicing for the Cowboy Up Challenge. Famous for riding up the elevator to the top of the Calgary Tower with his trusty steed to officially kick off Stampede celebrations every year, Cowley indulged our curiosity by showing us Tucker’s many tricks, such as lying down, rolling over, begging and playing dead – impressive feats that aren’t easily accomplished with a dog, let alone a horse.
HARLEY HORSE
Parking our bikes to take in the rodeo on foot, we were amazed by the scale of the event and enthusiasm of the crowd. While watching steer wrestling and commenting on the physical prowess required of the riders, a fellow spectator leaned over to tell us how competitor Curtis Cassidy aptly described his experience with the event: “It’s like jumping off a moving car to attack a mailbox.” Well put.
Having the enviable opportunity to take a chute tour during the bareback bronco riding contest, we were close enough to the action to feel the animals bucking against the gates and could practically hear the heartbeats of the brave, arguably insane, young riders as they strapped themselves to the wild beasts. Watching a rodeo on television is one thing, but after experiencing the competition in person I have a whole new appreciation for the skills and courage required. Our rides may have had more horsepower, but they definitely felt less intimidating and far more refined after being so close to these big, powerful animals with a mind of their own.
The excitement continued as we watched the chuckwagon racing. The first year of the Stampede, competitors were required to load up their camping equipment and take off in a figure eight before ripping around the track. Whoever returned first and was able to get smoke out of their stove was deemed the winner. Those bragging rights were rewarded with $25 and a new hat that year. Things have changed a little bit since then, as wagons and equipment are all required to be a specific weight and size, and the Dash for Cash winner takes home $120,000.
The event has come under scrutiny from animal rights groups, but from what I could tell the animals live a significantly more comfortable life than I do. “These are the equine version of Olympic athletes and are treated as such,” said Kirk Moore from the chuckwagon committee, as he gave us a tour of the barns, before adding: “This is [like] the Super Bowl. They spend the rest of the year being pampered and catered to by teams of professionals.” Tended to by veterinarians, massage therapists, acupuncturists, chiropractors and various other holistic specialists, these elite athletes are a significant investment so it wouldn’t be in their owners’ best interests to treat them poorly.
DEEP FRIED PICKLED HOT DOGS
With rain pouring down one afternoon, we decided to take in the Ramp Up show at the Bell Adrenaline Ranch. We didn’t know what to expect from the indoor freestyle motocross and trials exhibition, but it was money well spent. Many familiar names of X Games fame handily pulled off impressive, unimaginable tricks. Oh, and then there were the 225-kilogram snowmobiles doing backflips amid pyrotechnic displays.
Have you ever thought to yourself, “This hot dog would taste way better if only it were inserted into a pickle, breaded and deep fried?” Probably not, but sure enough, you can enjoy that response to a culinary question nobody asked at the Stampede, along with peanut butter popsicles, deep-fried Oreos and other edible oddities.
Each evening as the sun sets, the biggest and most elaborate outdoor stage in the country is assembled on the rodeo infield to house the Grand Spectacular. The truly world-class variety show is a cavalcade of elaborately choreographed live musical performances by local talent displaying various physical feats, like acrobatics, high-wire acts and freestyle motocross jumping. Sound random? It is.
To give an idea of scale and quality, this year’s show was produced and choreographed by Dave Pierce, who played a key role in the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
BARE SKINNED & THIRSTY PEOPLE
Another notable aspect of Stampede is the nighttime party scene, which is all some people come for. Massive circus tents are set up within the grounds to create bars with names like Nashville North and Cowboys.
Witnessing an abundance of bare skin, rampant drunkenness and public displays of affection, I hadn’t been at a party with that level of drinking and debauchery since college. And I liked it. People literally travel across North America to attend. Sarah and Tiff traveled from Toronto for four days of cowboys and country music: “The number of friends who join has dwindled as people start to get married and have kids, but we never miss it!” After experiencing the Stampede in all its glory, I can see why. Dan and I agreed an encore performance may be in order next year. After all, we’ve got the hats, belts, boots and buckles now.