I encourage all eligible First Nation females to consider entering the competition for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reign as Indian Princess during the Centennial Calgary Stampede and Centennial Indian Village Celebrations!

It will truly change your life and leave you with a lifetime of memories that you will carry long after your reign is complete.

The countdown is on!….ONE incredible year of meeting new people, TWO centennial celebrations, THREE new Stampede Sisters, memories to last FOUR-ever and celebrating the FIVE tribes of Treaty while celebrating and sharing our colorful heritage and culture to visitors from around the world?…CAN I ENTER AGAIN??

The Indian Princess is an official member of the Calgary Stampede Royalty and along with the Stampede Queen and Princesses, will make over 300 appearances locally, nationally and internationally throughout their exciting year of reign.

For more information or to obtain an application, contact:

Calgary Stampede Indian Events
1410 Olympic Way SE
Calgary, AB T2G 2W1
Attn: Jayne Nicholson
t: 403.261.0137
or email: indianprincess@calgarystampede.com

Website: www.indianvillage.ca
Facebook: Calgary Stampede Indian Princess
Twitter: StampedeIP

DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES:
FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2010 at 4:30pm

From shadowing bull rider Austin Meier to meeting Sale & Pelletier to getting to ride in a chuck (definite #1 experience of the week, turnback barrier a close second), I’m still digesting the fact that I was the first person to do something really no one else has ever had a chance to. And that doesn’t even take account the living right next to the Rotary Dream Home in my own deliciously air conditioned RV. Apologies if I never mentioned where it was before, but man’s gotta have at least some privacy, even if there’s thousands of people standing mere feet away from his bed.

I also never got a chance to thank the folks in the Lazy S for the delicious food and amazing hospitality for the Sunday finals. Being able to watch live where half a second can mean the difference between $100,000 and nothing is thrilling to say the least! And I got to cap the day getting the very last ride of anyone on the Tilt-A-Whirl!

Sorry I had to take Monday completely off, and my brain’s still coming back online, but I can definitely come away from this awesome ride with the ability to tell stories for hours on end, and it’ll probably still be a few days before I sit down, take a deep breath and say “woah.” Only a month ago I was bugging everyone I knew to vote for me in the Ultimate Intern contest, and believe me it was worth it to see it come to fruition. Only a year and a half ago I was stuck behind a desk tapping keys, and look at the Ultimate Intern “job” I just got as a break from my permanent vacation!

I’m going to be working on a recap part 2 with all my best pictures and videos and perhaps a few of the juiciest behind-the-scenes moments, but until then, thanks to all the amazing people at the Stampede for taking such great care of me, and be forewarned you won’t be able to get rid of me next year!

I was honestly thrilled that everyone else on the team was a legitimate farmhand living on the grounds just like yours truly. They all get up at 6 AM every day to feed the horses, and we both get through the day with the help of a lil’ coffee.

The basic idea is that the horses think the giant red canvas is a wall, so they decide to rip it the other “proper” direction down the track when they see it, which is A-OK with me. As one of the other turnback operators told me, the only time a horse forgets all that and runs through the barrier is when they’re “completely crazy”. Note he did not at all tell me it doesn’t happen every couple years, but I’ll trade the risk of trampling for front row seats to the chucks any day of the week.

Quite honestly, perk number one is the amazing red shirts everyone on the team gets. I didn’t know that was part of it before starting, and didn’t feel as much a part of the Stampede all week as I did when donning one. I’m still waiting for one of the spares to be delivered my way come Monday, fingers crossed.

Another funny observation was the sound of the crowd yelling towards you. I’m used to being in the Grandstands and screaming just being part of the general atmosphere, but when you stand out on the infield and they play the shell game on the Jumbotron with cowboy hats and everyone is yelling “TWO!!!!!!” and you ask the guy next to you on the chuck barrier why everyone’s yelling “BOOO!!!!!”, it’s somewhat more immersive.

I would apologize, but I got a lot of props from everyone on the team for not pulling out my iPhone and tweeting during the event while standing on the track, so thanks for bearing with me. One day left, can’t believe it!

Getting a chance to get back in the actual competition stables behind the back stretch was also a real treat before my ride. Not only were all the members of the Chuckwagon Committe incredibly friendly (and provided incredible gnocchi with dinner) all the riders I came across were more than happy to say hello. One of the most interesting facts I learned was that they’ll actually share horses with each other for the races, and depending on barrel position at the start will opt for completely different teams to focus on acceleration versus top speed in an effort to get the rail. And even that isn’t necessarily the best position, the track is slightly banked for drainage, so if it’s been wet out, the dirt will be thicker lower down and slow the horses down.

Another interesting perspective for me was that I was in the pits for a NASCAR race in Phoenix in February (here`s another vid if you like), and where they run on engines and ethanol, I must admit I prefer the rustic hay-fuelled stallions of the chuckwagons. I had to make sure it wasn’t just me and asked Devin after the race if he had adrenaline coursing though his veins too, and he said where most people drink coffee to get going in the morning, he could just hitch up a team of 4 horses and let it fly. Thanks again to everyone in the barns for the incredible experience and I hope I run into some of the great folks again when I operate the turnback barrier Saturday.

The thing looks like it was slapped together mostly of spare parts from the hardware store, but man does it pack a wallop! To anyone who was at Wednesday afternoon and got showered with glass when he shattered one of the stage spotlights with a cotton and tape projectile, apologies, it wasn’t on purpose. And as the PA announcer jested “You’re gonna have to pay for that!” over the speakers, Clint chuckled under his breath “what are they gonna do, fire me?” to which I reassured “hey, it’s a cannon, of course something is going to get busted up!”

Thankfully my Stampede schedule is lightening up as is my media blitz (6 different interviews Tuesday, check the CTV one online here) and I finally got a chance to check out some more stuff on the grounds today from the delicious local vendors at The Range, to the art in the Wine Garden to perhaps best of all watching the human cannonball absolutely sail through the skies. Hmmm, for a rodeo I’m sure getting a lot of cannon action.

Tonight I’ll be getting a barn tour and hanging out with the Chuckwagon Committee so I’ll be sure to let everyone know what goes on behind-the-scenes to get such a great event running.

Everyone knows the assortment of cowboy hat styles is about as varied as the number of different types of personalities we get here at the Stampede, and there are just as many subtleties within each style. At a high level you’ve got your straw versus your wool/fur, and I was told surprisingly that the wool ones naturally breathe and can be used just as easily in the summer and winter. Then if you decide to go with wool/fur you’ve got different grades and ratios between the two, not to mention the type of fur itself.

Once you’ve found a style that works for you, getting the exact fit is the next step. My grade 6 teacher thought I couldn’t use a measuring tape when I told her my hat size was 7 ¾ so I gotta go big right off the bat. From there a lot of it depends on actual head shape, there should be about two finger widths from brim to eyebrow line, a crown height that rests comfortably and two very important quick tests. One, if you flick the hat, it should still stay on, let’s call that one windproofing. Two, when you take the hat off, there shouldn’t be a red band on your forehead, let’s call that one brain-squish-proofing.

On the boot side, the most straightforward piece of advice turns out to be the most sagacious, cowboy boots should be the most comfortable piece of footwear you own right out of the box, if you need to break them in you might have wanted to spend a bit more time trying on different pairs first. And in one of those good news, bad news type deals, the Calgary Stampede clothing store didn’t have any in my size because the thousands of people rolling through there every day are cleaning out the stock!

Nominated from across the province, the BMO Farm Family Awards were a celebration of marrying urban and rural, implementing sustainability and modernization while keeping a view to the past. As the Alberta Minister of Agriculture put it in his opening remarks, agriculture is Alberta’s second largest industry and just so happens to be renewable. It won’t be long before only a handful of countries in the world produces more food than they consume, and part of the point of the awards was the recognize families that had a view to technology and innovation to keep Canadian agriculture at the forefront.

And it certainly was a family affair as MC Darrel Janz called entire clans up onto the stage to be recognized, some who had been manning the same piece of land for six generations and their proud beaming smiles revealed that was enough of an accomplishment to them without any need for formal award recognition.

Since it’s how I started off, why don’t we leave the written word to a master like Steinbeck while keeping the idea of family in mind:

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lif’ up his fellow, but woe to him that is alone when he falleth, for he hath not another to help him up.”

I’ve always been an avid rodeo fan not just out of respect for how tough as nails all the competitors are and how exciting it is to watch, but because of the history harkening back to a time of men, steer and brawn. So when I was given the chance to jump right into the dressing room and watch the whole show while shadowing a rider, how could I say no?

Austin Meier from the men’s bull riding competition was an incredible sport not to mention that he takes a great photo which shows we at least have the same taste in cop shade sunglasses. Not wanting to jump in there and disrupt his concentration asking millions of oddball questions an hour before his 8 seconds, I just got to hang out in the dressing room while he explained how he was applying the rosin to his gloves and rope, that the rope came from Brazil, that he was from Oklahoma which is right beside Amarillo, and so on.

What I found far more fascinating was the great camaraderie between the riders. Not that this surprised me in the slightest, but they help each other stretch out a shoulder, compare rope grips, talk about the wife and kids while wisecracking all the way. And as I took my perch directly behind the chutes, the way Austin put it made perfect sense, while they’re all “competing” against each other, it’s really all about the adversary with the bull, whatever happens happens, then the dust settles and it’s up to the judges.

Thanks again to Austin and the Rodeo Committee for being such great hosts, hopefully I can stop by again soon…except I think I’ve said that about every event so far!

I must say, it’s a bit different perspective on the rides, foods and fun when you actually live here. Testing out my lanyard pass to find I could walk right up and touch the finish line flag at the chucks was satisfying to say the least, but not nearly as much as watching grown adults become screaming children once again. And that’s not even taking the sugar high into effect!

Hosted at the Boyce Theatre for prelims through Tuesday, then semis and finals Thursday through Saturday at 6:30 PM, the Stampede Talent Search was one heck of a show and I was honoured to be their guest. From Josh Webb and his soulful rendition of Comin’ Home to Michael Witteman and his yo-yo trickery through The Doll Sisters’ heartfelt self-composed bluegrass guitar and violin, I’ll say the same I said about the Grandstand Show…genuinely impressed. And that’s just 3 of the giant myriad of amazing competitors!

Starting off the afternoon in the dressing room of the human statue troupe, I loved seeing all the art and design behind the costumes, makeup and props. And that doesn’t even touch on the talent of the 14 performers from the Theatre of the Living Statue. Being covered head to toe in bronze isn’t even half the battle, all of them are accomplished dancers and actors as holding poses for an hour and believably popping and locking their movements is a true art of physical performance. Try and see if you can find any of them in halls D & E of the BMO Center…because even after my half hour backstage I still walked right past the first performer thinking he was a real statue!

Later in the evening after a round of interviews with The Herald and CTV we headed over to Indian Village for a teepee raising, which I soon discovered was actually a teepee race that I was a contestant in. While my technical skills were lacking, my grit, determination and ability to listen to people shouting advice meant our team was only twice as slow as the winning side. Apologies to my teammates, but I’m really looking forward to heading back down and taking some vids of the pros racing early next week!

We’re only hours into the “official” Friday Stampede kickoff and I’ve already met young Volte from this year’s Grandstand Show (who was more than excited to explain to me his high-wire flying stunts), got a chance to meet the lovely Stampede Queen and Princesses, see the pre-parade staging with hundreds upon hundreds of horses and meet the Country 105 radio DJ who’s stationed right near my awesome (and air conditioned!) GuaranteeRV.

I’ve got to run now and chow down on some midway food before the next of my 20 planned events, but feel free to drop me a mention or crazy suggestion on my @BlimpyB Twitter feed and I’ll get right back to you, and of course follow the @CalgaryStampede itself. Looking forward to meeting everybody throughout the week and trying to stay out of trouble

With Nashville opening in just one day we figure what better way to reward our amazing twitter followers than with VIP Passes to Nashville North on July 9th and 11th. Here is what you need to do to be entered!

Follow the @calgarystampede on Twitter

Tweet “Your favorite Nashville North Star linking to their entry”

Example: “Hey @calgarystampede check out my favorite Nashville North star with a link to thier entry”

Check out all the entries here Winners will be randomly selected from those entered via @calgarystampede

Brendan will be living and breathing the Stampede for 10 straight days. And we mean that quite literally – Brendan will be staying in his private GuaranteeRV right on the Stampede midway!

Watch for Brendan on the Calgary Stampede blog for his inside scoop on over 20 unique and exclusive experiences. Also, stayed tuned on Facebook and Twitter for ways that our Ultimate Intern can track you down on the grounds to giveaway exciting prizes.

For anyone that missed it, here is Brendan’s winning video entry

Ultimate Intern – Brendan Barnett