This week at Stampede Park sees the continuation of the American Apparel Warehouse Sale, the return of the Festival of Crafts, and the ever-popular Calgary Hitmen Teddy Bear Toss!

Details on that and more here:

• American Apparel Warehouse Sale: American Apparel is bringing their Warehouse Sale tour to Calgary! Tens of thousands of American Apparel garments can be found up to 90% off. Inventory will be constantly replenished throughout the sale, but get their early for the best selection! November 24-29 in the Big Four Building, Hall B from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day.
• NHL Hockey:  The Calgary Flames play twice this week as they continue to climb up the ranks of the NHL’s Northwest Division.  First, the Flames take on the Nashville Predators on Tuesday, November 29 at 7:30 p.m., followed by the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday, December 1 at 7 p.m.  Both games take place in the Scotiabank Saddledome, and tickets for both are available through Ticketmaster.
• Festival of Crafts:  The 25th annual Festival of Crafts Art & Craft Sale will amaze you with over 250 specialty boutiques all under one roof!  Experience the art of shopping like no other from Canada’s leading artists, artisans and designers.  Discover everything from fashions, jewellery, art, sculpture, home decor items and many other fantastic works.  December 1- 4 in the BMO Centre.  Admission is available at the door.
• CKOC All Breed Dog Show:  The Calgary Kennel and Obedience Club will be hosting their Winter Show this week.  Featuring three All Breed Championship shows along with other events.  December 2 – 4 in the Big Four Building, Lower Level.
• WHL Hockey:  The Calgary Hitmen also play twice this week at the Scotiabank Saddledome.  First, they take on the Spokane Chiefs on Friday, December 2 at 7 p.m., followed by the Medicine Hat Tigers on Sunday, December 4 at 4 p.m. for their annual Teddy Bear Toss.  Fans are encouraged to bring a small or medium sized stuffed toy to the game and toss it on the ice when the Hitmen score their first goal, so that the toys can then be redistributed to many local charities.  Tickets for both games 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:
  • Stampede Casino Presents – Burlesque in the Big Sky Showroom: Burlesque in the Big Sky Showroom starring Annick, Melody and Jessika. Sexy cabaret style dance, vocals and live performance. Don’t miss a show you will never forget! Doors open at 9:30 p.m. and the show starts at 10 p.m. Tickets are $20 and are available at the door or at Stampede Casino Guest Services.

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 on Park and beyond!

Danitada!

Happy November to all you faithful Stampede blog readers, we are officially one month closer to Christmas and Stampede 2012!

The Trio and I are soon on our way to Vancouver for the 2011 Grey Cup celebrations. I am so excited to take a break from the cold weather and represent our great city, the Calgary Stampede and the Treaty 7 tribes at the Indian Village. During the 5 days the royalty will be promoting the City of Calgary at numerous events and taking part in our first official parade! I would like to give a great big thank you to the members of the Calgary Grey Cup Committee for hosting us. They are a wonderful, hardworking and fun bunch of people who do such a great job every year. Their passion and excitement for the sport and for our City is outstanding. I am thrilled for my first out-of-province trip to Vancouver and to represent our community under such a major national spotlight.

I also had a wonderful time with my Stampede sisters Candace, Dani and Jessica at the 2011 Canadian Finals Rodeo in Edmonton. It was an exciting time filled with royalty, cowboys and lots of laughs. I experienced my first official autograph signing with Canadian Cowboy Country Magazine as well! It was great to mix and mingle with the crowd and get to meet so many happy, smiling and adorable kids. I would like to thank our hosts at Canadian Cowboy Country Magazine who were so great and so supportive – they made my first CFR really special. Thank you to Rob and Marie Tanner and the staff at Canadian Cowboy Country Magazine!

As I travel to every event as the Centennial Indian Princess I am so proud to be a member of the Piikani Nation and represent the Treaty 7 tribes at the Indian Village. I would like to encourage all the young women of Treaty 7 to keep in mind their goals and aspirations so that they may try hard and make them a reality. Never lose faith in your ability to make your dreams come true. First Nations women are beautiful, strong and the heart of their community – we can overcome any obstacle, endure any hardship and maintain our cultural heritage in these modern times. I hope to carry this message with me throughout my year and during my travels as the 2012 Indian Princess.

I hope to see you during the holiday season! Stay warm, keep smiling and don’t forget your wool socks.

Until next time…

Amelia

It’s quiet week here at Stampede Park, but if you’re looking for some holiday gift ideas, or want to purchase some items for yourself, you definitely won’t want to miss the American Apparel Warehouse Sale happening this week and next.

• American Apparel Warehouse Sale: American Apparel is bringing their Warehouse Sale tour to Calgary! Tens of thousands of American Apparel garments can be found up to 90% off. Inventory will be constantly replenished throughout the sale, but get their early for the best selection! November 24-29 in the Big Four Building, Hall B from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day.

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 on Park and beyond!

Hello to all of our wonderful blog readers! I decided to share with everyone my experiences from the competition that resulted in my new role as one of the 2012 Stampede Princesses!
I am so unbelievably excited and grateful for this amazing opportunity! I wanted to share with any future Royalty contestants a little bit about the competition and what to expect. I believe that the Stampede Royalty program is an amazing program, and I encourage any of the ladies considering running for Stampede Royalty to partake in this great experience. So, here’s a summary of my path to becoming a Centennial Princess!
The Stampede Royalty competition started on September 1st, 2011 when all of the contestants met at Stampede Headquarters to learn exactly what we were getting ourselves into. We were told what the competition would entail; two intensive panel interviews, three riding competitions, a prepared speech competition, many impromptu speeches, mix and mingle events, formal and informal cocktail receptions, a parents reception and a visit to the children’s hospital. All of these events would be judged, and all in the span of only one month! Wow! Needless to say we were all very excited, nervous and a little overwhelmed.
In spite of any initial doubts, the competition really turned out to be a lot of fun! Getting to know the other ladies and the judges during each of the events was a really great experience. I would have to say that the riding competitions, although stressful, were my favorite part of the competition. It really is amazing how much we each learned about our own hidden strengths and our abilities during that month. I realized I could do things like belt my nerves and come up with impromptu speeches, or have calm and meaningful conversations with any of the 17+ judges throughout the competition. The competition occurred in three stages; there was the cut to the top ten, then to the top six, and finally to the 2012 Trio. We were all a bundle of nerves before each cut, and because of some confusion with names, I actually thought that I didn’t make the cut to the top ten! By the time October 2nd came around and the new Trio was to be crowned, the six finalists were all nervous but also very excited. When my name was called, I really was shocked. I have continued to be shocked, and amazed ever since that day by this incredible journey I am now on; everyday is like Christmas!
I am so excited and grateful to be representing the Stampede for this exceptionally special year. I can’t wait to see what amazing things I will experience with my new Stampede sisters Dani and Candice and this year’s Indian Princess Amelia! The lessons we learned throughout the competition have already begun to expand, and by the end of the year, I am confident that our lives will have changed forever!
Sincerely
Jessica Manning
2012 Stampede Princess!

Our sponsors spoil us more than Santa himself on Christmas day! Today I
was able to go and visit Amanda from Lushus concepts. Amanda has been
perfecting her service for 12 years now and she really knows what she is
doing when it comes to nails. I like my nails short so I can still rock
climb without damaging them, and of course Amanda was able to accommodate
me. As the third Royal Trio to be blessed with the services from Lushus
Concepts, we get treated so well and they give us that professional finish
feeling. I can’t express how thankful we are for our sponsors, without
them we wouldn’t be able to live the dream of being Calgary Stampede
Royalty.

This past weekend Jessica, Dani, Amelia and I got to travel up to Edmonton for the 2011 Canadian Finals Rodeo! I had an amazing time watching the rodeo, walking and shopping through the trade show (dreaming about owning one of the amazing horse trailers one day!), and going to the CPRA Fashion Show and Luncheon! It was wonderful to have some “girl time” at the fashion show to meet and greet with other Royalties that were attending the CFR and to support the Sports Medicine team that take care of our athletes at all the rodeos across Canada.

On the Saturday morning we got to experience our first autograph signing at the Canadian Cowboy Country Magazine stand! I was so grateful to meet all the fans that were out this weekend for the CFR and it was awesome to see the excitement in the little kids eyes when we got to talk to them. I remember being that little girl wanting my photo with our former royalties so that made this experience so much more exciting.

To add to all the fun we had, we also go to watch the Miss Rodeo Canada crowning on Thursday evening. Arleta Bowhay, a former Miss Rodeo Sundre was crowned the 2012 Miss Rodeo Canada. I was so excited to see this crowning and she will be a wonderful representative for the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association. Congratulations Arleta and we are excited to see you on our Visiting Royalty Day at our Centennial Calgary Stampede celebration!

Congratulations to all the athletes, the stock contractors, sponsors, inductees into the Canadian Rodeo Hall of Fame, and Arleta Bowhay that had a great week up at the Canadian Finals Rodeo!

Open-sourced musical project Bassnectar makes an appearance at Stampede Park this week, along with the ever-popular Grape Escape.

Details on that and more here:

• 2011 CSUG/SPE Canadian Unconventional Resources Conference:  The Canadian Unconventional Resources Conference is a going meeting of the Canadian Society for Unconventional Gas and the Society of Petroleum Engineers.  The latest knowledge on discovering, developing, and producing unconventional gas and heavy oil in Canada and the US will be showcased, November 15 – 17 in the BMO Centre.  To attend, register here.
• NHL Hockey:  The Calgary Flames play twice this week against opponents from the Eastern Conference.  First, the Flames take on the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday, November 15, followed by the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday, November 18.  Both games take place at the Scotiabank Saddledome, and the start time for both games is 7 p.m.  Tickets available through Ticketmaster.
• WHL Hockey:  The Calgary Hitmen also play twice this week at the Scotiabank Saddledome, with both games taking place over the weekend.  First, the Hitmen take on the Prince Albert Raiders on Saturday, November 19 at 7 p.m., followed by the Saskatoon Blades on Sunday, November 20 at 2 p.m.  Tickets for both games are available through Ticketmaster.
• The Grape Escape:  You don’t want to miss this informative and entertaining evening featuring samplings from over 60 producers of wine, spirits and beer.  BMO Centre, Halls D and E, November 18 – 19 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.  Tickets may be found at all Calgary Co-op Wines & Spirits locations.
• Bassnectar:  Bassnectar is an open-sourced musical project that is as diverse as it is heavy, as raw as it is meticulous, and as fierce as it is imaginary.  Spanning the spectrum of sonic style, the music covers every genre imaginable and smashes it all into a synthesis of intense, wobbling baselines and hypnotic soundscapes.  Saturday, November 19 in the Big Four Building.  Doors open at 8 p.m. and the show starts at 9 p.m. and tickets for the show are available through Ticketmaster.  18 years of age or older.

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 on Park and beyond!

This week sees the return of BUILDEX Calgary and Taboo to Stampede Park.

Details on that and more here:

(more…)

As the new Stampede Queen for this 2012 Centennial year, I have to start by saying how thrilled I am to be part of something so special like the Calgary Stampede and the family that supports it! My feet are still floating above the ground because of the endless opportunities that we have and will be given as your Royalty this year. Having the chance to stand tall and be the ambassadors for this special year in Calgary and for the Calgary Stampede is incredible and I thank everyone for that.

When I thought of the blog subject name, to me it fit perfectly with what has happened in my life the past month. Our sponsors have made this feel like a fairytale, and the amount of support we have received from them gives us the confidence to truly fill this role. Liz Chandless-Kane has taken my skin from generic to spectacular! Her skin line from The Aria Studios has taken my skin from “gym skin” ( I’m always running around and I’m a total gym nut!) to silky smooth, even, gorgeous skin. We are Liz’ fourth trio and we are so thankful to have her continue on with our year! Thank you so much Liz for providing us with everything to help us look as successful and confident as we feel.

Check out Liz’ website!
www.ariastudios.ca