The Travelling Mabels have announced two parties celebrating their CD release. The first is taking place at the East Longview Hall on Sunday June 12^th at 2 p.m. followed by the Ironwood Stage and Grill in Calgary on Sunday June 19^th at 7:30 p.m.

The CD titled, “Song in a Dream” can be previewed on iTunes. And don’t forget to catch the Travelling Mabels on the Window on the West stage at this year’s Calgary Stampede on Sunday July 10^th at 5:30 PM. http://www.thetravellingmabels.com/homesweethome.cfm

The WOW stage is located in the Western

The Travelling Mabels Are Celebrating!

Oasis Hall in the BMO Centre!  We can’t wait to see you there!

Duncan Ly, Hotel Arts

The very entertaining Dueling Chef Competition, presented by the Calgary Herald and sponsored by Fabio Centini of Centini Restaurant and Brian French of Where Magazine, is returning to the Calgary Co-op Kitchen Theatre stage.  Ingredients for the competition will be supplied by Calgary Co-op. The preliminary competitions will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, July 11th and Wednesday, July 13th, with the final taking place Saturday, July 16^th.   Our Master of Ceremonies will be David Walker of 100 Wines

Competitors:

 Monday, July 11:  Duncan Ly (Hotel Arts) vs. Jesse Hochhausen (Marriott Hotel & Resorts) 

Wednesday, July 13:  David Flegel (Hyatt Regency Hotel) vs. Sean Ellis (The Westin Hotel)

The Calgary Co-op Kitchen Theatre stage is located in the Western Oasis Hall in the BMO Centre – be sure to come and check us out at 2011 Calgary Stampede.

This year, the People’s Choice Competition of the Creative Arts and Crafts Competition is a whimsical look at the Western Boot Jack.  Use your imagination and creativity to decorate a western boot jack. Submit your entry online at www.westernshowcase.com by June 24, 2011. During Stampede Week, all entries will be on display in the Creative Arts and Crafts exhibition in Halls D/E of the BMO Centre.  Visitors to the Western Oasis will have the opportunity to vote on their favorite boot jack, and the winner will be announced on the final day of the Stampede. This contest is open to individuals 12 years or older.

A relatively quiet week at Stampede Park as we prepare for next week’s big Gas & Oil Expo & Conference, this week features famed British rock band Supertramp as they continue the Canadian leg of their tour.

• An Evening with Supertramp:  Supertramp continues on their acclaimed 70-10 tour, which celebrates forty-plus years since the release of their first album, ‘Supertramp’ in 1970. The band will perform numerous classics from their forty year history, including Bloody Well Right, Dreamer, From Now On, Goodbye Stranger, The Logical Song, Rudy and many, many more.  At the Scotiabank Saddledome Saturday, June 4 at 8 p.m.  Tickets for the concert are available through Ticketmaster.
• Stampede Casino: Open all year-round and featuring all your favourite slots, tables, a 24 hour poker room, as well as excellent food and special events throughout the year, there’s always something going on down here so why not drop by for a visit? Here’s a taste of what’s happening this week:
  • Weekly Specials: Every week features specials to make your stay at the Stampede Casino more enjoyable. On Sundays, table and slots players can enjoy Afternoon Tea featuring assorted teas, coffee and biscuits from 2-4 p.m. Tuesdays are Neighborly Tuesdays where if a player wins a hand play slot jackpot of $250 or more, their neighbor to the right wins a prize as well. On Wednesdays, patrons aged 55 and over can take a Garden Getaway in the Grasslands Cafe where they can enjoy a $3.99 soup, salad, and sandwich from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Finally, Thursday is Ladies Night at the Centre Bar and the 1912 Bar & Grill as ladies can enjoy half-price wine and appetizer specials from 4-8 p.m.
  • Players Zone: Every home game night, come be a part of the action with six themed blackjack tables, ticket giveaways, food and drink specials, and much more.

Make sure to sign up to become a Stampede Insider for first-access to exclusive news, contests and other insider information, and be sure to keep an eye on our official Twitter account at @calgarystampede and our official Facebook fan page for giveaways, special announcements, and more! Finally, make sure to visit our website and continue to tune into the official Stampede Blog to learn more about all of the things happening Here. All Year.

Only 38 days to go until The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth!

Many locals and visitors of the Calgary Stampede are unaware that we are a volunteer-run, not-for-profit organization. Over 2000 Calgarians dedicate their time and energy to volunteering, not only for the 10-days of Stampede, but year round at activities and events across the world. With the mandate to preserve and promote Western heritage and values, Calgary Stampede volunteers can be seen running pancake breakfasts, escorting Harry the Horse, and organizing logistics for the Stampede Rodeo (among the many other responsibilities of the 46 volunteer committees).

One such volunteer is Mr. Glen Judd. With 13 grandchildren, 8 great grandchildren and a love of model railroading, popular belief might be he has little time for anything else. Contrary to this, Glen just received his award for 50 years of volunteer service with the Calgary Stampede. Not only has he devoted those years of his life to supporting the ‘Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth’, he currently sits on two committees (not a small feat), the Parade committee and the Promotions committee, and has no intention of slowing down any time soon.

As a teenager, Glen developed an interest in showing horses, acting as ring master and building Jumper courses. In 1958 he was asked to join the Horse Show committee with the Calgary Stampede, and the following spring he joined the Parade committee as well. In his 50 years, he has had the opportunity to serve a term as Vice Chair of the Horse Show committee and Chairman of the Stampede Parade. “Working with the people on these committees opened the door to experiences that have given me many enjoyable moments. It helped me to develop as a better person,” he says of his team. The Stampede has taken him to two parades in Hong Kong, as well as a number of parades throughout Western Canada promoting the Calgary Stampede, and the Parade. His wife even spent their honeymoon sitting in the stands of a horse show!

If you are inspired by Glens story, and eager to contribute your time to one of the most recognized aspects of Calgary’s culture and heritage, check out the Calgary Stampede website and submit an application. Glen’s advice to all new volunteers, “What you get out of volunteering is a function of what you put in. Hard work and effort will eventually produce many strong lasting friendships.”

Before the show

Things are really starting to gear up as we get closer and closer to Stampede. I think I finally saw the sun today! In the words of Princess Stephanie, “We have a deal. Mother Nature can pour down as much rain as she wants now and in return we will have a dry Stampede…WE HAVE A DEAL!” she says shaking her hands at the sky. Oh so dramatic.
Being members of the Stampede royalty you can imagine how horse crazy we all are…and being the unbelievably lucky girls that we are, were formally invited to the opening night of Cavalia! We had been talking about the show for weeks, and had made plans to purchase tickets all together to attend the show. So you can imagine our excitement and delight when we found out the royalty had been invited to the show! Dressed in one of our newest outfits, we spent the evening enjoying this amazing show. It is hard to explain just how incredible and breath taking the performance of the horses and the acrobats was…you have to see it to believe it. It really instills the trust and bond that exists between a person and their horse. None of the tricks could have been performed without absolute 100% trust on both parts. It is something that I strive for in my own life with all of my animals, and something that all animal lovers can really relate to. Whether you are a horse-lover or just want to enjoy an amazing show, this is really something not to be missed!

We were treated like royalty by the people at Cavalia, and were escorted into the barns first after the show to meet all the performers! The horses were contently munching away on their supper and we had the opportunity to talk to many of the human performers, who don’t deserve any less credit for the breathtaking things they do in the show. There were a certain number of horses that were so sensitive to voice command that you could not speak while you were passing by. What incredible animals!

Needless to say, we were very excited about this show and had an amazing time. You can be sure that next time we go out to see our boys (Hawk, Snoopy and Kansas) we will be trying some of our own stunts! We will see how much luck we have with that…I’m sure we will receive some very skeptical looks from the boys…

With the creator of Cavalia!

Join us today along 4^th street to take part in this year’s Lilac festival from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. Our booth is located close to Lululemon along 4^th street and 17^th Avenue SW.

This is our first year attending the Lilac Festival and we are excited to meet with all our Stampede fans! Our team will be available to answer all your questions and give you some pointers and tips on how to ensure you have a great Stampede this year.

Be sure to stop by our booth to tell us about your favourite Stampede experience and get your picture taken for the Calgary Stampede Fan Wall of Fame. All photos will be posted to the Stampede Fanpage on Facebook and you will be entered to win 2 tickets to the rodeo, event show or evening show. The tickets also include gate entry and a food voucher.

We hope to see you there!

While the Stampede Blog is a great resource on what’s happening in and around Stampede Park and elsewhere year-round, there’s a lot of news stories and media releases that get published over on our e-News Portal as well.

With the Calgary Stampede only 40 days away, there’ll be more and more information released over there in the lead-up to July. So in an effort to keep everyone informed, every Saturday we’ll round up and summarize all of the articles that have been published throughout the week over on the e-News Portal here in a new feature we’ll call the CS Weekly Wrangle!

(and special thanks to all of our fans and followers on Twitter who helped us come up with the name!)

So, let’s get right to it:

Friday, May 27

• Getting ready for the 2011 chuckwagon season: The 2011 chuckwagon racing season is underway. In fact, six major races will already have taken place before the chuckwagon teams compete at the Calgary Stampede from July 8 to 17. While the majority of the chuckwagon circuit’s races take place in the summer months, the training and conditioning of the horses begins much earlier.
• Lots and lots… of lots: When Stampede Park guests arrive for the Calgary Stampede this year, they’ll be greeted with 1,837 new prime parking spaces.

Thursday, May 26

• 2011 Calgary Stampede Coca-Cola Stage lineup released: The Calgary Stampede is world renowned as The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth for many reasons, one of which is that it’s one of Canada’s largest music festivals.
• Equine EHV-1: The Calgary Stampede is monitoring the Equine EHV-1 situation very closely, following industry information and consulting with equine veterinary professionals.
• Calgary Stampede hosts more than 500 4-H members: 4­-H on Parade is the culmination of a year’s worth of time and effort put into a variety of projects by Calgary area youth. More than 500 4-­H members will participate in this year’s event representing more than 40 clubs.

Tuesday, May 24

• Mavericks spices things up with the Ghost of the Big Four Challenge Burger: The authentic western dining restaurant held the Ghost of the Big Four Burger Challenge as seven contestants had to eat a very spicy double burger in less than 25 minutes.

If you want to stay up-to-date with all of the Calgary Stampede’s news stories and media releases, keep an eye on our e-News Portal at http://news.calgarystampede.com, subscribe to the e-News Portal RSS feed, or follow the official Calgary Stampede Twitter account at @calgarystampede.

Our popular Stampede Packs will be back again for the 2011 edition of the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth

Here is a sneak peek at the NEW CJAY 92 “Stampede Pack” for 2011.

Stampede packs can be purchased in the BMO centre, Hall A, Stampede Park during the festival, July 8 – 17, 2011

Post a picture of yourself or a family member wearing a past years “stampede” pack on the Calgary Stampede facebook page and you will be entered into a draw for free 2011 CS Stampede Pack.

Post your picture by June 3rd, 2011, drawing to be made on June 6^th, 2011

If you missed out in attending the Coca-Cola Covert Concert last night, check out the video that announced all of the acts performing at this year’s Coca-Cola Stage!

Access to the various concerts on the Coca-Cola Stage is free with Park admission for the day, and nothing caps off a great day at Stampede Park like great music.

This year’s Calgary Stampede runs from July 8 to 17.

Who will play the Coca-Cola Stage at this year's Calgary Stampede?

After weeks of anticipation and speculation, the 2011 Coca-Cola Stage line up was finally announced last night at the Coca-Cola Covert Concert at Flames Central.

The only way the public could attend the event was to win their way in with contests and give-aways running throughout a variety of channels such as our official Facebook fan page and Twitter account @calgarystampede over the last few weeks.

The crowd in attendance waits for the show to start

As Stampede fans and followers in attendance and those paying attention online waited for the night to unfold and for all the secrets to be revealed, contests were run throughout the night for those who were at the venue and following the conversation through Twitter.

Earlier in the night, a draw was made for a lucky few to have a meet-and-greet session with the bands after the show. Throughout the night, attendees had to hunt through the venue to find hidden “covert agents” in possession of five pairs of tickets to the New Kids on the Block & Backstreet Boys concert happening at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Wednesday, July 13, and at the end of the night, the grand prize of an autographed guitar and a $250 gift certificate to Lammles Western Wear and Tack was given away as well.

Mystery Band #1: Hollerado

One of the biggest questions of the night (other than who would be performing at the Coca-Cola Stage at this year’s Calgary Stampede) was who would be performing up on stage as one of two Mystery Bands as part of the Coca-Cola Covert Concert. Both of the bands performing at the Covert Concert would also be featured as part of the 2011 Coca-Cola Stage concert series.

The first Mystery Band to be revealed on stage was Canadian indie rock band and Juno-award nominated Hollerado from Manotick, Ontario. Hollerado will perform on the Coca-Cola Stage on Sunday, July 10.

A brief intermission followed where the entire 2011 Coca-Cola Stage line up was unveiled, with oohs and ahhs emanating from the audience throughout the entire announcement.

Mystery Band #2: The Trews

The night was capped off by Mystery Band number two, Juno award-winning Canadian rock band The Trews from Antigonish, Nova Scotia. They’ll headline the Coca-Cola Stage on Friday, July 15.

The entire concert announcement can be seen here, but for those who were curious, here is what the 2011 Coca-Cola Stage line up looks like:

• Thursday, July 7 (Sneak-a-Peek): For The Weekend, These Kids Wear Crowns
• Friday, July 8: State of Shock, My Darkest Days
• Saturday, July 9: The Dudes, Mother Mother
• Sunday, July 10: Hollerado, Tokyo Police Club
• Monday, July 11: Alyssa Reid, Shawn Desman, Fefe Dobson, Justin Nozuka, Lights
• Tuesday, July 12: Finger Eleven
• Wednesday, July 13: Down With Webster
• Thursday, July 14: Kevin Costner & Modern West
• Friday, July 15: The Trews
• Saturday, July 16: Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
• Sunday, July 17: Marianas Trench

This year’s Calgary Stampede takes place between July 8 – 17.

They say knowledge is power and that accurate intel can be a deciding factor on the battlefield. Therefore, it is always prudent to verify your information first before acting on it, lest you bring defeat down upon your squadmates and your team.

If you’ve been keeping an eye on our Twitter account @calgarystampede and have been following the Covert Operations Mission Updates through the #CSCovertOps hashtag, then you’ll have noticed that we ran a couple of trivia games throughout the day on Wednesday where people who replied with the correct answer to the question were entered for a chance to win a pair of Coca-Cola Covert Concert tickets.

We may do one or two more of those in the morning and early afternoon leading up to the Covert Concert, so keep an eye out for it!

This Sunday Mission district will come to life for the 22nd annual Lilac Festival, filling 4th street with vibrant entertainers and a variety of tantalizing and talented food and craft vendors.

The Calgary Stampede’s Next Generation Committee is thrilled to be throwing on our boots and hats a little early this summer to participate in this year’s festival. We’ll be on hand to answer questions, as well as to show you how our online tools can keep you in the loop and help you plan your trip to the grounds to get the most out of Stampede 2011.

We’re also excited to be giving away tickets for some of this year’s biggest and best Calgary Stampede events! Stop by our booth to tell us about your favorite Stampede memory. Or, let us take your picture for the Calgary Stampede Fan Wall of Fame on Facebook. Either way, we’ll enter you into a draw for two tickets to the rodeo, event show or evening show. The tickets include gate entry for the day and come with a food voucher. They are good for any day of the ten day Calgary Stampede except July 17th.
Hope to see you at the festival!

Heads Up, loyal Stampede friends, fans and followers!

The latest intel update from our scouts in the field has revealed the location of even more of those elusive QR Codes!

Clue - These two guys are probably wondering how they can win a pair of Coca-Cola Covert Concert tickets...

Clue - This QR Code is on exibit

Clue - This QR Code is getting ready to go on an outdoor adventure and is shopping for the right equipment!

More locations are being discovered all the time, so stay tuned to the Stampede Blog, keep an eye on @calgarystampede on Twitter, and follow all the mission developments through the #CSCovertOps hashtag!

For the previous set of clues, check out the original Covert Operations – Mission 1 briefing.

And to learn more about how you can win a pair of passes to the Coca-Cola Covert Concert, make sure to check out the introduction to our Covert Operations! Just by participating, you have a chance to win!

Instead of following thousands of Calgarians out to the mountains on the May long weekend I chose to head down to the Grounds to take in Kid Rock. Now I’ll admit – I don’t own any of his albums, nor do I have any of his songs on my iPod – I only know what I’ve heard on the radio. I heard through the grapevine that he is great performer; I love live music so I decided I’d go.

I wasn’t let down. The amount of energy and talent Kid Rock displayed is incredible – his reputation as an American rebel precedes him but he does a great job of mixing softer tunes from his Born Free album with some of his earlier hard rock. Turning 40 may have let his more sensitive side out but it didn’t dampen his ability to light up the night and get the party started with an energetic performance that engaged the entire audience in his music.

This multi-talented Detroit native definitely knows how to put on a show! Between the rapping, rocking, drumming, scratching and playing the piano I barely realized it when the night had come to an end.

There are plenty of musicians that play on the Stampede Grounds during the year. Be sure to check out the Stampede website to stay informed on what’s going on at the grounds each week so you don’t miss out on any great shows.

I can’t get the lyric “I wanna be a cowboy baby” out of my head … good thing the Calgary Stampede is right around the corner.