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.
Weadickville
Particularly, I love the Weston Bakery where they offer all sorts of baked products at very reasonable prices. I find that the fresh sausage rolls and pizza pretzels they sell make for an excellent hot meal, and the various meat pies are tasty as well if I’m looking for something more hearty. Now don’t get me wrong, I love my midway treats, but you’ll often see me hit the bakery first once I arrive on Park via the C-Train to pick up something to munch on before I start exploring the Park.
Of course, the bakery isn’t the only food outlet in the area. This year sees the return of the Mac’s General Store (where you’ll probably find me picking up an ice-cold Froster or bottle of water to complement my bag of sausage rolls) and Second To None Meats selling various goods made of naturally raised Alberta beef products.
There’ll be some new food kiosks available in Weadickville this year as well. The CS Candy Store will be offering a selection of old fashioned candy at old fashioned prices, including 25 cent candies. And also new this year is MacKay’s Ice Cream who will be offering their tasty treats at the Ice Cream Parlour (which means you won’t need to travel all the way to the town of Cochrane to get it!).
Also at Weadickville this year is Mystic Forge where you can find a working blacksmith’s shop creating and selling unique ironworks created in the traditional manner. And what replica of an old town would be complete without their local newspaper office? The Calgary Herald will have an interactive news location where you can pick up a copy of the Calgary Herald for all your Stampede news.
Finally, appearing at Weadickville this year is Joey “Rocketshoes” Dillon. He was recently featured as a gun expert re-enacting Jesse James’ skills on Spike TV’s Deadliest Warrior, and he’ll be doing a one-man cowboy show twice daily in Weadickville. Here’s a clip of him in action:
So if you’re trying to plan your next trip to Stampede and are looking for a place to relax, enjoy a meal outdoors, or for a place that offers good value, Weadickville is one of many options on Park that you can check out while you’re here visiting.
For more information on other shopping opportunities during the 10 days of the festival, visit our website.
Tags: Spotlight, Weadickville
