Stampede 2015

If you've ever been to Calgary and visited during Stampede (10 days usually in early July) you know that it's a big deal around here. Calgarians and tourists alike make their way to the grounds to enjoy all the 'Pede has to offer like food, rides, games, markets, concerts, barns, rodeos, chuck wagon races and even a grandstand show. The first year Jamie and I arrived in Calgary we hit the grounds and quickly discovered it's nothing but an over-priced, over-hyped, over-crowded display of (mostly) poor and drunken behaviour. The years went by and our participation at Stampede events was minimal at best. Having little interest in watching the unnecessary abuse/exploitation of animals or losing all our hard-earned cash by just trying to park and pay admission, we mostly kept our distance and loathed the week people pretended to be cowboys.
Fast forward to the year 2013 when Calgary experienced devastating flooding only a week before Stampede. Determined the "show would go on", the people of Calgary came together and pitched in to get the grounds ready in time for Stampede. At the time, Jamie and I felt we should show our support and spend some money so we took Brandon to "Sneak a Peak". This is the first night the grounds are open but it's not officially Stampede yet. Admission is half price and all the rides are working, there just aren't as many shows and therefor not as many people. Well that had us convinced. If ever we were going to hit the grounds, Sneak a Peak night was the time to do it.
We made our plans to take Brandon to Sneak a Peak this year. He had enjoyed the rides so much at Sea World we thought he'd like the little kids midway at Stampede. Well he sure did! Each ride cost either $4 or $5 and only lasted two minutes. Yup that's what I'm talking about when I say "over-priced". No matter, Brandon rode a motorcycle, a monster truck, a helicopter, a roller coasting caterpillar (his favourite), the elevator drop (he did not like that) and even took a stroll through the haunted house.

After his adventures at the midway, we headed to the food area for some of the best stuff the Stampede has to offer. We grabbed fish tacos, mini donuts and some kind of Italian watermelon-flavoured soda and enjoyed every bite. We were out in the sun and it was super hot so after dinner we walked over to the agricultural barns where they use fans and air conditioning to keep the animals cool. My favourite part, as usual, were the horses but we also saw some lambs, piglets and chicks. All though they were all cute, Brandon and I agreed the piglets were the cutest.

After our tour of the barns we made our way to the "Adrenaline Arena" to watch a show called "The Evolution of Extreme". Some people started out doing tricks on BMX bikes and that was quickly followed by people doing stunts on dirt bikes and motorcycles. Next up was a quad doing tricks and I thought Brandon was going to lose his mind. He was so excited about the quad - it was pretty funny. At the end of the show they brought out a snowmobile to do some flips and Brandon loved that too. The show was only about 35 minutes long but it was a huge hit with B.

After the show we headed home and made our way to bed. Brandon claimed he had tons of fun and I'm so glad he did. The Stampede is not a part of my childhood traditions but for many of my friends and co-workers who grew up here, it totally is. Maybe it's something we'll take Brandon to every year  so he can grow up and reflect back on the family fun he had at Stampede. I don't know. I'll have to think about that. We'll see . . .