The countdown is on and the pressure is mounting – especially with an even more regal audience than normal! The legendary Calgary Stampede parade is only a couple of days away and you can just feel the excitement in the air.

We have marching musicians from all over the world (and just around the corner) fighting some major butterflies in their stomachs today as they put the final touches on their parade performances. Polishing instruments, final rehearsals (that sometimes last for hours and hours on end), pressing uniforms and breaking in their marching shoes – it’s all part of preparing for the rush of seeing thousands of people gathered to see the parade go by.

For 2011, we have bands that are experiencing their first Stampede (yahoo and a warm Stampede welcome to our first timers!!), and others who haven’t missed a parade since, well, almost since the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth came to be!

There will be 18 bands in this year’s Stampede parade – some from as far away as Australia and some as big as 315 members. Be sure to give them a warm Calgary welcome and let them know you appreciate how much work goes into what they do! There’s no faking it – these talented folks work super hard to look, sound and be as good as they are.

And don’t forget: your local Calgary bands are some of the most impressive on the planet, so be sure to let them know how proud you are of the hard work, commitment, time and pride they put into what they do. They represent you around the world – just like our visiting bands do for the places they’re from – wouldn’t you want your local bands to feel the love from other crowds!?

So when you hear them coming, clap in time to the music and give them a big YAHOO – especially if you’re on the east of 9^th Avenue at the end of the route….they need the boost of energy and support from the crowd!

HAPPY STAMPEDE!

I met hundreds of people at the many events I attended. The entire city of Calgary was alive with western heritage and values – The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth had finally arrived! Many visitors came to watch and participate in the parade that was the kick off to the Stampede. This year as the Indian Princess, I rode the Indian Princess horse Stormy in the parade. That was an unforgettable experience, to have a chance to wave and greet all the people of the city and world as they watched the parade.

There were many pancake breakfasts that I attended with the trio. It was wonderful to meet so many people at the many breakfasts hosted by the local corporations and businesses.

The rodeo was the one of the many great attractions for many professional cowboys and cowgirls. I was thrilled for the opportunity to ride in the rodeo grand entry. It was very exciting to see all the friendly people smiling and waving back at me.

Each evening the chuckwagon races created high energy as the crowds cheered on their favourite chuckwagon driver and outriders. I had the honour, along with the trio, to escort daily rodeo and chuckwagon winners onto the main stage for their trophies and prize money.

The most exciting event was the celebration of dances, ceremonies and tea gathering at the Indian Village. I was so proud to represent the First Nations people as I was at these Indian Village events.

I am deeply grateful to the many sponsors, chaperones, Indian Events Committee and Indian Princess Committee members that made my experience at the Stampede a memorable one.

Until next time,

Your 2010 Calgary Stampede Indian Princess
Sahvanne Weasel Traveller

Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horsepower)

However, at the Calgary Stampede Heavy Horse Show, we have our own definition.  There are 265 draft horses in the barn that are here to give you an up close and personal look into horsepower.  Step into the Agricultural building and Draft Horse Town and witness the largest exhibition of heavy horses in Calgary Stampede history!  These “Big Guys” range in breed, size and age. 

Each of the draft breeds of horses (horses over 1600 lbs.) were originally developed for warfare to carry the enormous weight of soldiers in armor.  These early war-horses, known as either the “Great Horses” or the “Flemish Horses” (which existed before the time of Caesar) were the forebears of all our breeds of modern draft horses. The Belgian, the blondes or redheads of the draft horse breeds, originated in the lowlands in the country of Belgium and is the most direct lineal descendent of the Flemish horse.  Percherons, the black or grey, originated in the area of La Perche, a district of Normandy, one of the oldest horse breeding regions in the world.  Clydesdales, a widely known breed of draft horse, is the bay colored horse with the black mane and tail and white feathered feet.  The Clydesdale originated in Scotland and has become one of the brewing industry’s most recognizable mascot due to the promotions and commercials from the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Company.  (http://www.budweiser.com/en/world-of-budweiser/clydesdales/default.aspx#/en/world-of-budweiser/clydesdales/index)

Last but not least is the Shire, which originated in England in the 17^th century.  This “Great English Horse” was valued during the reign of Henry VIII - today you will see many of the great black (or bay) horses at the Calgary Stampede!  

Come on into the Saddledome and witness these gentle giants in action!  (http://ag.calgarystampede.com/events/425-heavy-horse-show.html)

Spending a week with the horses has made me so excited for the Stampede Parade I can hardly stand it! I remember being a young girl and watching the Royalty ride by, dreaming of what it might be like to be in their position. It is hard for me to imagine that in less than a week we will be part of the ten day event that I have bragged to everyone about for years.

I will be spending most of my weekend packing and resting up for the busiest ten days of my life. See you on Parade Day!!!

There are many things that people look forward to each year when it comes to Stampede time.

Everyone looks forward to learning what the Coca-Cola Stage and Nashville North musical lineups for the year will be and what big bands are lined up for the concerts at the Saddledome. Everyone wants to know what new rides, exhibits, and other things to do will be debuting, and of course, everyone wants to know what kinds of new, funky, and/or repulsive foods will be making their way to the midway.

One more thing that people look forward to hearing about each year: who gets to be Stampede Parade Marshal.

While it’s true that some parades go all out in getting very famous celebrities to act as Grand Marshal for their parades, traditionally, the role of Stampede Parade Marshal was never meant to go to the most famous or most important personality.

Granted, there have been some very famous celebrities or personalities in the past that have been chosen. For example, Walt Disney was marshal in 1965. Prince Charles was marshal in 1977, and in 1986 four members of the Calgary Flames shared the role after their Stanley Cup run of that year which ended in them losing to Montreal in the finals.

However, there have also been some not-so-glamorously-famous but equally important (in regards to their contributions to society) people who have been chosen as well. For example, in 1985, Steve Fonyo was chosen to help marshal for his work in raising money for cancer research with his “Journey for Lives” marathon in 1984, doing what Terry Fox himself was unable to accomplish. Astronaut Chris Hadfield was chosen for the role in 2001, and most recently, four teenage skateboarders (Rob Lewis, Carlos Koppen, Aaron Jackson, and Benjamin Jordan) were chosen for the role in 2007 for their charity work with Push for the Cure and their 8,000 km trek across Canada to raise funds for breast cancer research.

The role of Stampede Parade Marshal is strictly ceremonial and is meant to be fun for everyone involved. That said, obviously everyone has an opinion on who should be the parade marshal for any given year, and what one person thinks would make a great choice for parade marshal, another may think that it’s an awful one.

The way that the Stampede Parade Marshal is chosen is very informal. Every spring, a list of potential candidates is generated and considered from throughout the community, and eventually, someone is chosen who is thought would be appreciated by the community-at-large for some aspect of their personality or achievements.

Sometimes current events play into the selection process. For example, when Calgary hosted WorldSkills 2009, Mike Holmes was chosen for his charity work and his representation of the trades. I’m sure if the Calgary Flames ever won the Stanley Cup again, you’d see someone from that organization chosen as marshal for that year too.

This year, brothers Jet and Cord McCoy were selected as the 2010 Calgary Stampede Parade Marshals. Yes, their most recent claim to fame was making it as runners up in the 16th edition of The Amazing Race, and yes, they are indeed American.

But they are also working cowboys in real-life. They own a ranch, raise cattle, and take on all the responsibilities (and risks) that come with that kind of lifestyle. They both compete in various rodeos across North America for the prize money that helps them make ends meet. In fact, Cord himself has qualified and will be competing at this year’s Stampede Rodeo in the Bull Riding competition for a chance to win the $100,000 grand prize.

It’s been 11 years since a working cowboy was last chosen as Stampede Parade Marshal (Herman Linder in 1999), and it’s only been done six times in the 98-year history of the Calgary Stampede. They are passionate advocates of, and embody (and have practised, if you saw them compete on The Amazing Race) many of the ideals that both the Calgary Stampede and Calgarians in general try to stand for; mainly community building, honesty, and integrity. These days, values such as those tend to be forgotten or placed on the wayside in favour of other motivating factors.

All of the above are just some of the reasons why they were chosen to be the Stampede Parade Marshals for this year.

That said, it’s never too early to start thinking about next year. People do pay attention, and the last thing anyone wants to do is to choose a marshal that people can’t get behind.

Personally, I would love to see Mantracker (Terry Grant) take it next year. He’s based in Alberta, he can ride a horse, and his day job involves saving lives. It’s not glamourous work, and (TV show aside) it doesn’t make him as glamorously famous as some of the previous parade marshals the Stampede has brought on in the past, but I think he’d make a fabulous one all the same and embodies human characteristics that can be appreciated by many.

But that’s just my opinion. What’s yours? With all the above in mind, who would you choose to be Stampede Parade Marshal for next year? Leave a comment here on the Blog or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook. I’m interested in seeing what people come up with! And if you happen to agree with my nomination of Mantracker, let us know too!

By: Jen Jensen

I remember as a little girl my dad saying “everyone loves a parade” and this year in Calgary it was no different. The people I met were from all over; some traveled a great distance (and the yearly die-hards were there at 6:30am or earlier) and some were there for the first time, all waiting in anticipation. For me, I find the attraction to be a few of the ol’ favorites that make it here year after year such as the army tanks and the Stampede Show Band and there are always some new highlights. It impressed me this year that the crowd gave a standing ovation as the law enforcement and army passed by. It made me realize this is one of the few opportunities we get to show our appreciation publicly. The diversity always surprises me, I made sure to catch a shot of the guy riding the Brahma bull:

Cowgirl belly dancers (I mean where else can you see that in one place):

And I caught what I think is a rather candid shot of a volunteer helping out a hot band member:

To see more check out our Day 1 photo set on Flickr.

The Calgary Stampede Sneak-a-Peek events are not only on the grounds today – the Parade Committee also brought them up to the Alberta Children’s Hospital (ACH) this morning for a sneak preview of the parade.

Patients, nurses, hospital staff, parents and siblings alike lined up along outside the ACH to watch the colourful floats, a marching band, mascots and animals for a mini-version of the famous Stampede Parade. Patients received cowboy hats and tons of goodies from parade participants who included Canadian Blood Services, Calgary Emergency Medical Services, The Pet Access League Society, STARS and the Calgary Police Service.

Check out photos for the event below!

Calgary Policemen and women lined up with famous Star Wars characters.

Members of the Calgary Emergency Medical Services team and Medic Moose handed out moose antler hats and colouring books for patients.

Mascots took time to shake hands with patients and their families during the parade.

This miniature pony walked alongside other pets from the PALS group.

Hundreds of people lined up outside of the hospital to watch the sneak-a-peek parade.

After the parade finished, everyone got a chance to hear more from the marching band while they gathered goodies from parade participants.

Even “Extra”, a member of the Pet Access League Society, got her head in a hat for the big event day!

Famous for his trademarked catchphrase, “Make it Right”, Mike Holmes is best known for the television show Holmes on Homes™ which is now aired around the world.  He is also a spokesman for WorldSkills Competition to be held on Stampede Park in September.

“I’ve lived my life by the same values that the Calgary Stampede represents: Make a difference. Live with integrity. Make it right,” says Holmes. “I truly believe in building a lasting future and restoring the dreams of the past, something the Stampede has been representing for almost a century.”

Eight young Albertans, all members of Team Canada competing at WorldSkills, were also introduced as Honorary Parade Marshals: Daniel Reid (Cochrane), Devon DeBoer (Calgary), Craig Spady (Red Deer), Steven Dingwall (Calgary), Tiffany Vandermey (Calgary), Daniel Green (Drumheller), Matthew Chadder (Millarville) and Brad Chyz (Calgary).

Check out Mike’s website: Make it Right.ca or follow Mike Holmes on Twitter.