By Killa Burkinshaw

Well the weather hasn’t been reminiscent of Stampede lately, but with just 38 days left until Stampede 2010, there’s a lot of exciting stuff coming up to get you in the Stampede spirit. Hopefully the weather will be much nicer by then. In the meantime, let’s find out What’s Happening at Stampede Park this week.

This week is all about music.

• Nickelback- Grammy nominated and Billboard Magazine’s ‘Group of the Decade’ return to Calgary with their 2010 Dark Horse tour. Opening for Nickelback are special guests Breaking Benjamin, Shinedown and Sick Puppies. To find last minute tickets for the show tonight go here.
• RAIN – A Tribute to the Beatles- The award-winning Beatles concert, RAIN – A Tribute to the Beatles, boasts a repertoire of nearly 200 Beatlemaniac favorites. RAIN covers the Fab Four from their very first Ed Sullivan Show appearance through the Abbey Road album, through the psychedelic late ’60′s and their long-haired hippie, hard-rocking rooftop days. Thursday June 3 at 8:00 p.m. at the Saddledome. For more information go here.

• Tickets for 2010 Stampede events are still available – it’s not too late to get great seats to some of the most exciting events the Calgary Stampede has to offer. Visit http://cs.calgarystampede.com/tickets/ to get the best seats in the house for the Rodeo, Evening Show, Chuckwagon Races and Concerts!

That’s all for this week. For updates and info on everything Stampede, make sure you follow us on Twitter at @calgarystampede and @HereAllYear, on Facebook through our official Facebook fan page, and stay tuned to the official Stampede Blog to learn more about some of the things happening Here. All Year.

This morning at 6am was the official start to 2010 Stampede midway set-up. We call it “painting the midway”

Every year at the beginning of June we pull out our two trusty line stripers, boxes of special striping paint, a giant wheel of string and our brand new, infamous measuring wheel (our old one got run over by the police – long story).

Somehow, we have to make everything that comes to the Calgary Stampede fit into the space we have on park. We take our scale midway map and measure everything out on the ground, every foot counts, so we have to be bang on.

Once we have measured strategic points with our measuring wheel, we put string on the ground to keep a line, point A to point B, nice and straight. Or as straight as you can in the cold and wind today!

This morning we were measuring out the Midway Circus FMX track, as well as where the portable washroom buildings go by Nashville North, and the perimeter space for the Bull’s Eye Cook Shack.

We will spend each morning this week painting the midway, as well as another week after the Oil show, finishing up the little details. All the white dotted lines and arrows you see all over the parking lot over the next few weeks, that’s what we’ve been up to!

Christine V using the Striper to paint the Midway Circus

The USA Breakdancers performing at the Saddledome Plaza Stage during Stampede 2009

The Saddledome Plaza Stage, located right beside the Pengrowth Saddledome, features acts and performances that appeal to all ages. With performances scheduled throughout the day, if it’s family entertainment you seek, it’s happening here.

At the Saddledome Plaza Stage, there’s always something different going on from Park opening to close, and one could easily spend an entire day here taking in all of the performances on stage. This is a great place to visit in-between destinations in your Stampede program, or it makes a for a great Stampede destination all on its own.

Best of all? Access to all of the entertainment performing on stage is free with your gate admission.

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Hello everybody, let me introduce myself, my name is Angela Benson and I am proud to be the Co-Artistic Director of The Young Canadians School of Performing Arts and this is my very first Blog!!!!  Right now we are in the thick of things preparing for the Greatest Outdoor Show on the earth, The Calgary Stampede’s Grandstand Show, and boy are you ever in for a treat.  This amazing group of talented young performers have been training and perfecting their craft for the past eight months and cannot wait to get on stage to show everyone what they are made of.

Let me tell you from first hand experience, I get to work with and mould these young professionals everyday, and there is no one more committed and dedicated than a Young Canadian.  This group of youth are truly a team, and are ramping up more and more energy and enthusiasm as the days count down to Opening night!!

We have now moved to a hockey arena to begin our preparations of piecing this humongous show together, and under the tremendous Direction of our Choreographer/Director Mr. Brian Foley we are sure to have a hit on our hands.  People keep asking me what the theme is this year, and what is involved in this show, so my answer is always, incredible singing, hard hitting dancing, fearless stunts, featured performers and breathtaking fireworks.  If you stay tuned for future blogs you will get the inside track of what we are working on!  Of course for the full effect you will have to go the show to see what else we have up our sleeve. For ticket information go to www.calgarystampede.com/tickets

By the way, if you think you have what it takes to be part of  The Young Canadians we have auditions coming up, May 30, 31 for Dancers and June 6 and 7 for Singers.  Check out our website www.calgarystampede.com/yc for more information and online registration!! Hope to see you there.

Check back soon for more exciting updates.

Angela Benson, yahoo!!!

Aaron Lines

While the Coca-Cola Stage offers some of the best mainstream music acts in its concert series lineup, if you’re looking for something a little more country to suit your Stampede experience, then look no further than Nashville North.

Sponsored by Budweiser, Nashville North is a venue unlike any other on Stampede Park. Located in its own separate tent north of the Grandstand Building, this is the place where you can enjoy country music acts playing all day long on stage while enjoying your favourite beverage.

The best part about Nashville North? Entrance is free with paid gate admission to Stampede Park.

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By Killa Burkinshaw

How was everyone’s Long Weekend? I hope it was a good one and that your already for this next week.  Beer, Auditions and 4H all lead this week’s activities.

• Axia NetMedia Corporation- BMO Centre Wednesday May 26
• Calgary International BeerFest- Come sample beers and food from around the world, learn from the experts about their beers and more. Big 4 Building, Friday May 28 4-10 p.m and Saturday May 29 3-10 p.m. For more information go to the Website.
• Do you know a future Young Canadian of the Calgary Stampede or Stampede Showband member? Then this weekend is the weekend to have them (or you audition) These two incredibility talented groups are looking for new members to join them. For more information on auditions go to their audition info pages Young Canadians and Stampede Showband.
• 4H on Parade- Canada’s largest gathering of 4-H clubs and members. 4-H on Parade offers the Calgary Region 4-H youth the opportunity to show and compete with their projects. Whether it is being tasked to raise the Charity Steer or Lamb or designing rockets, there is something on display for every type of enthusiast. Friday May 29-Sunday May 31 2010 in the Ag Barn, Big Top, Corral and Pavilion.

• Tickets for 2010 Stampede events are still available – it’s not too late to get great seats to some of the most exciting events the Calgary Stampede has to offer. Visit http://cs.calgarystampede.com/tickets/ to get the best seats in the house for the Rodeo, Evening Show, Chuckwagon Races and Concerts!

That’s all for this week. For updates and info on everything Stampede, make sure you follow us on Twitter at @calgarystampede and @HereAllYear, on Facebook through our official Facebook fan page, and stay tuned to the official Stampede Blog to learn more about some of the things happening Here. All Year.



The Coca-Cola Stage

What is the Coca-Cola Stage? It’s an outdoor stage at the Calgary Stampede that brings you today’s hottest music and family entertainment, and access to it is free with admission.

Green space surrounds the venue, making it a great place to sit and relax, to enjoy a picnic lunch that you’ve brought from home while enjoying the stage entertainment, or to enjoy that bag of sausage rolls that you picked up from Weadickville moments before.

Now, you’ve probably heard by now about some of the big-name music acts coming to perform on the Coca-Cola Stage in the evenings at this year’s Stampede, and I won’t get into too much detail about it here as it’s covered in many other places as well.

However, in the event that you haven’t yet heard, I’ll let the following video speak on it for you:

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This week, Stampede Spotlight showcased Western Oasis and Buckaroos as two potential spaces where you could take your family. Access to these spaces are free with your gate admission.

One other space that may be of interest to those with families (and even to those who have none) is the Ag-tivity in the City exhibit.

Sponsored by Agrium, Ag-tivity in the City is a massive area comprising of the Agrium Discovery Centre inside the main Ag-tivity in the city tent, as well as the various agriculture-related exhibits and stations surrounding it.

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Mystery Band #2: Default

Last night was the first-ever Coca-Cola Covert Concert where the 2010 lineup for the Coca-Cola Stage was announced.

Held at Flames Central, two mystery bands that would appear in this year’s lineup were scheduled to perform, while various prizes were given away to fans in attendance via Twitter and through random drawings on stage. Prizes included things such as gift certificates to Lammles Western Wear & Tack, guitars signed by the bands performing that night, and tickets to the upcoming Kid Rock concert at the Pengrowth Saddledome on Friday, July 16.

The two bands that ended up performing were Doc Walker and Default, much to the delight of many of the people in attendance.

So, without further ado, here is your 2010 Coca-Cola Stage lineup:

• Thursday, July 8 (Sneak-a-Peek): Down With Webster
• Friday, July 9: Theory of a Deadman
• Saturday, July 10: OK Go
• Sunday, June 11: Barenaked Ladies
• Monday, July 12: Stereos, Faber Drive, Marianas Trench
• Tuesday, July 13: Three Days Grace
• Wednesday, July 14: Glass Tiger and Loverboy
• Thursday, July 15: Doc Walker with special guest Raul Malo
• Friday, July 16: OneRepublic
• Saturday, July 17: Default with special guest Crash Karma
• Sunday, July 18: Martina McBride

For more information on all of the acts that will be hitting the Coca-Cola Stage at this year’s Calgary Stampede, check out our website.

Last time, I recommended the Western Oasis as a good spot to take a break, even if you’ve got little kids to take care of for the day and just want a break for yourself. It’s one of the many spaces on Stampede Park that access to is free with admission.

But what if you’re a little kid? Where do you go?

Buckaroos, located in the main level of the Big Four Building, is just the place for you (and for parents as well, as long as the kids are playing, I guess) and is another space on Park that access to is free with admission.

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This picture looks oddly familiar...

The Coca-Cola Covert Concert is where this year’s Coca-Cola Stage lineup will be announced, along with performances from two mystery bands. This exclusive concert will be held at Flames Central on Thursday, May 20 at 7 p.m. These tickets cannot be bought anywhere; they must be won, and tickets have been given away through various means during the last couple of weeks.

So, did you miss out on the 250 that were given away through the Stampede Insider newsletter?

Did you miss out on the tickets that were given away through the various scavenger hunts run in various parts of the city on the official Calgary Stampede Twitter account?

Did you miss out in entering the sweepstakes that was run on the official Stampede Facebook account?

If so, there’s one last chance to score a pair of tickets to this concert, and this time, it’s very easy to win.

Simply find the post on the official Stampede Facebook fan page asking you to leave a comment, even something as simple as “Yahoo!” and then go down to the Calgary Stampede Ticket Office located in front of the Grandstand Building at Stampede Park during business hours on Wednesday, May 19 (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) and claim your ticket! Maximum two tickets per person while supplies last.

There’s about 400 tickets left to be given away through this method, so what are you waiting for? Go leave a comment on our fan page, then come down as soon as you can and pick up the hottest ticket in town!

And while you’re at it, make sure you’ve joined our Stampede Insider newsletter and that you’re following us on Facebook, Twitter, and right here on the Stampede Blog so that you’ll always be kept up-to-date on any exclusive announcements, contests, and other opportunities in the future.

Western Oasis

Making a return this year is the Western Oasis, one of the best places on Stampede Park to get away from the elements and the hustle and bustle of the midway.

Long-time Stampeders may remember the Western Showcase in previous years; the Western Oasis combines everything that the old Western Showcase had and adds lush vegetation, water features, a wine garden, and low-key lighting to create a very calm and relaxing atmosphere. Add in plenty of free space, places to sit, and live performances throughout the venue, and the Western Oasis truly becomes worthy of its namesake.

Located in Halls D and E of the BMO Centre, the Western Oasis features Canada’s finest display of western art and culture.

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One of the most popular attractions during the Calgary Stampede, the Indian Village combines an insight into the colourful heritage of the Plains Indians and a chance to relax in a beautiful park setting.

The Indian Village has been a major part of the Stampede since its inception in 1912.

The First Nations People at Indian Village represent the five tribes, the Siksika, Tsuu T’ina, Nakoda (Stoney), Piikani (Peigan), and Kainai (Blood) of Treaty 7.

Native Interpreters are available to guide visitors through the Indian Village to explain the traditional demonstrations including native dance, games, meat cutting skills and much more.

Located at the south end of Stampede Park, tipis are open for inspection daily, affording guests the opportunity to observe the Indian lifestyles of many years ago, and various events and activities are scheduled throughout the 10 days of the festival ensuring that there’s always something to see and do.

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Guy Weadick

Guy Weadick is the founder of the Calgary Stampede.

In 1912, he gained the financial backing of A.E. Cross, Patrick Burns, George Lane, and Archibald K. McLean (also known as the “Big Four”), and staged the very first Calgary Stampede.

In honour of what he accomplished, there’s an entire area on Stampede Park dedicated to him: Weadickville.

Located west of the Coca-Cola Stage and north of the Big Four Building, Weadickville is a re-created typical Calgary street circa 1912. It’s a cool and comfortable spot to relax and find some of the best values on Park. There’s picnic areas where you can sit and enjoy your lunch (whether brought from home or purchased elsewhere), it’s close enough to the Coca-Cola Stage to hear whatever performance happens to be on, and there’s usually some form of live entertainment in the area at any given time.

What’s my favourite part about Weadickville? The cheap food.

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