When was the first Calgary Rodeo?
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The event's roots are traced to 1886 when the Calgary and District Agricultural Society held its first fair. In 1912, American promoter Guy Weadick organized his first rodeo and festival, known as the Stampede. He returned to Calgary in 1919 to organize the Victory Stampede in honour of soldiers returning from World War I. Weadick's festival became an annual event in 1923 when it merged with the Calgary Industrial Exhibition to create the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede.
Calgary Stampede
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All this began to change in 1912, when a group of Calgary businessmen hired American roper Guy Weadick to manage, promote, and produce his first Stampede. Weadick selected the events, determined rules and eligibility, chose the officials, and invited well-known cowboys and cowgirls to take part. He hoped to pit the best Canadian hands against those of the US and Mexico, but Mexican participation was severely limited by the civil unrest in that country. Nonetheless, the Stampede was a huge success, and Weadick followed with the Winnipeg Stampede of 1913, and much less successful New York Stampede of 1916. Although Weadick’s last production, the 1919 Calgary Stampede, was only a minor success, he led the way for a new era in which powerful producers, not local committees, would dominate rodeo and greatly expand its audience.
History of rodeo
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Early rodeo-like affairs of the 1820s and 1830s were informal events in the western United States and northern Mexico with cowboys and "vaqueros" testing their work skills against one another. Following the American Civil War, rodeo competitions emerged, with the first held in Cheyenne, Wyoming in 1872. Prescott, Arizona claimed the distinction of holding the first professional rodeo, as it charged admission and awarded trophies in 1888. Between 1890 and 1910, rodeos became public entertainment, sometimes combined Wild West shows featuring individuals such as Buffalo Bill Cody, Annie Oakley, and other charismatic stars. By 1910, several major rodeos were established in western North America, including the Calgary Stampede, the Pendleton Round-Up, and the Cheyenne Frontier Days.
Rodeo
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Stampede Corral was constructed in 1950, hosting the Calgary Stampeders ice hockey team from 1950 until they went out of business in 1972, then played again in 1978–79 under five different minor hockey leagues. Following the 1979–80 National Hockey League (NHL) season, the Flames franchise moved from their original founding at Atlanta in the United States to Calgary. The first place the Flames relocated to in Calgary as a venue was Stampede Corral which they used from the 1980–81 to the 1982–83 NHL seasons. After that, the Flames moved to the Olympic Saddledome (Scotiabank Saddledome since October 2010) for the 1983–84 NHL season where they remain as of 2017. The Corral hosted the World Figure Skating Championships in 1972 and continues to be of use for the annual Calgary Stampede rodeo events.
Venues of the 1988 Winter Olympics
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At least seven movies were filmed at the Stampede by 1950. The most profitable, the 1925 silent film "The Calgary Stampede", used footage from the rodeo and exposed people across North America to the event. Hollywood stars and foreign dignitaries were attracted to the Stampede; Bob Hope and Bing Crosby each served as parade marshals during the 1950s, while Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip made their first of two visits to the event as part of their 1959 tour of Canada. The Queen also opened the 1973 Stampede.
Calgary Stampede
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In 1929 the Rodeo Association of America (RAA) was formed bringing promoters and managers together. It compiled scores from rodeo events at the 50 some rodeos across North America including Cheyenne, Wyoming; Pendleton, Oregon; Calgary, Alberta; and Salinas, California. The RAA sanctioned events, selected judges, and established purse awards and point systems. Their judges documented and determined champions in each event. The new organization was far from perfect. Often, prize money was not as advertised and judging was sometimes unfair.
History of rodeo
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The Ellensburg Rodeo opens every Labor Day weekend along with the Kittitas County Fair in Ellensburg, WA. Started in 1923, the Ellensburg Rodeo has grown from a local competition among ranch hands to the Professional event of today with over 500 contestants and prize money in excess of $250,000. Within the Pacific Northwest the Ellensburg Rodeo is second in size only to the Calgary Stampede in Calgary, Alberta, and is considered to be one of America’s top 25 rodeos.
Ellensburg Rodeo
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In 1904, eight years before the Calgary Stampede, the first large-scale rodeo was staged as part of Whoop-Up Days.
Whoop-Up Days
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The parade began in 1970 as the Western Days Parade, but in 2016, it was rebranded "Valley Center Days" to be more inclusive because the word "Western" had negative connotations for some local Native American tribes, however the Valley Center Stampede Rodeo and Festival continued separately, as usual. In 2017, Valley Center Western Days, Inc. produced the parade, and the Valley Center Stampede Rodeo celebrated its 16th year. In 2018, the Valley Center Stampede Rodeo became sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, becoming the first professional, non-profit rodeo in Valley Center. The Valley Center Stampede Rodeo supports several youth associations within the community, including the Valley Center Stampede Rodeo Queens. In 2018, Miss Valley Center Stampede Rodeo Madison Wagner represented Valley Center at the state-level pageant for the first time, winning the crown on her first attempt and becoming the first Valley Center Stampede Rodeo Queen to be crowned Miss Rodeo California.
Valley Center, California
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On September 21, 2009, the Calgary Grey Cup committee announced that the 97th Grey Cup would feature the return of an official Grey Cup parade. They later named Elisha Cuthbert grand marshal of the parade, on November 13. On October 12, it was announced that Blue Rodeo would be the halftime show. The week's festivities also included the ENMAX Street Festival and Stage on Stephen Avenue; the Calgary Herald Olympic Plaza Family Fan Fest; the Molson Canadian Quick Six Saloon at the Telus Convention Centre; the Scotiabank Grey Cup Gala Dinner and Contest at the Pengrowth Saddledome, featuring Great Big Sea; and the McMahon Stadium Pre-Game Party with live entertainment featuring Econoline Crush.
97th Grey Cup