Calgary Stampede

THE GREATEST OUTDOOR SHOW ON EARTH!

July 09 - 18, 2010

Nestled in the foothills of the majestic Canadian Rockies, the Calgary Stampede is a ten day, city wide celebration of western hospitality.

Calgary's most popular tourist attraction,

'the greatest outdoor show on earth' features a real rodeo, a midway (amusement park), concerts, chuck wagon races and more. The city of Calgary is transformed for 10 days into town celebrating the cowboy culture. Each year, millions of visitors from around the world come to Calgary, Alberta, Canada, to partake in the annual event, the Calgary Stampede and Exhibition.

The Calgary Stampede has a rich history. With origins as an 1886 Agricultural Fair of the world-famous attraction that it is today, the Calgary Stampede's past contains many colorful characters and significant milestones.

Annual Stampede attractions include Rodeo, World Champion Blacksmith's Competition, Animal and Agricultural Events, chuck wagon races. Watch saddle bronco and bareback riding, and the thrilling bull riding. See the crazy clowns, wild cow milking and wild horse races. Walk through an authentic Indian village and a recreated frontier town. Peak of each Stampede day is a must see Grandstand Show with fireworks that ends your day of fun with your family and friends.

Annual free Stampede Pancake Breakfasts are help every day through out the city of Calgary and near by communities like Cochrane.

Ask for more information and directions about The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth!

There is truly no better place to be during the Labour Day long weekend than Cochrane, where every minute is packed with events that are exciting, stimulating and, to be honest, just a little bit odd. There are not many towns where outhouse races take place right down the centre of the main street. The Lions Labour Day Rodeo, a fixture in town every Labour Day weekend since 1968. Come and join us for the weekend of family fun!

source by rockymountainview.ab.ca

Calgary Stampede [photo 2010]

Calgary Stampede

The Calgary Stampede is a wild west extravaganza - a historic celebration of farming life, of agriculture and of the rodeo. It features musical entertainment in the evenings, chuckwagon races, agriculture competitions, fair ground rides, a daily parade and the world’s largest outdoor rodeo competition.
The first Calgary Stampede took place in 1912 and drew large numbers of competitors and more than 100,000 spectators. Visitors to the modern, ten day annual July event usually total more than a million, and a further two million viewers tune in and watch the parade on television. Prize money for the six rodeo events has now topped $1.6 million dollars.
Locals and visitor are encouraged to ‘dress western’ for the duration of the Calgary Stampede and enjoy the range of traditional sitting-on-the-edge-of-your-seat style western entertainment.

The Calgary Airport Is A Central Air Traffic Hub For 27 Airlines And A Lot Of Privately Owned Planes.

Calgary Airport opened in 1914. Calgary’s first airfield moved twice before settling into its current location in the city’s northeast section in 1939.

Named McCall Field for a Calgary World War I aviator, the airport underwent several expansion and modernization projects, eventually becoming the property of the federal government and adopting the present name of Calgary International Airport.

The once modest facility now serves as a central air traffic hub on a regional, national, and international basis, employing thousands of workers and housing 200 companies.

The airport currently encompasses nearly eight square miles of land, and since July of 1992 the Calgary Airport Authority at 2000 Airport Road NE has been responsible for the management, operation, and development of every inch.

The Calgary Airport Authority also manages Springbank Airport, which acts as a relief airfield for Calgary International Airport.

Located west of the city in the Rocky View municipal district, Springbank Airport claims distinction as the closest certified airport to Banff National Park, and it provides both commercial and private aircraft services.

Twenty-seven airlines currently service Calgary International Airport:

Air Canada/Jazz, Air North, Air Transat,

Alaska Airlines, America West/U.S. Airways,

American Airlines, Belair Airlines, British Airways,

Canadian North, Central Mountain Air, Condor,

Continental Airlines, Delta Connection, Excel Airways,

Fly Globe Spain, Frontier Airlines, Horizon Air,

KLM, Martinair, Monarch, Northwest Airlines,

Peace Air, Skyservice, Sunwing Airlines,

Thomas Cook, United Airlines, WestJet, and Zoom.

For transportation on the ground, travelers can visit the Rental Car Centre on the Departures floor across from the main terminal building, which can also be reached via the elevator lobby across from the Arrivals road.

Half a dozen car rental agencies operate out of the Rental Car Centre, and rental companies located outside the airport offer courtesy shuttle service to their locations.

Bus Bay #21 on the Arrivals roadway serves as the shuttle pick-up spot, but advance arrangements must be made with the car rental company.

Travelers who drive their own vehicles can choose from four airport parking options.

There’s a Short Term parking area;

a Parkade that offers hourly, daily, and weekly rates;

an Overweight lot for oversized vehicles;

and a 450-car surface-parking site.

Visitors can also opt for valet parking on the Departures roadway.

Demand for parking space peaks on Wednesdays and Thursdays and during long weekends, often necessitating the use of auxiliary lots outside the terminal, so it’s best to plan for the extra time needed to walk to and from the terminal during these periods.

However almost all parking lot operators provide a shuttle service to and from the Airport Terminal.

For those who wish to check their belongings, the airport provides coat and luggage storage for a per day/per item fee.

This service is available at the airport’s Information Booth on the Arrivals floor, opposite Carousel #4.

You’ll also find the airport’s Lost and Found Department at that location, as well as information on Calgary area attractions and events.

For die-hard shopaholics, Calgary Airport Authority features an award-winning concession program with more than 110 shops, restaurants, and services on hand, both before and beyond the security areas.

The airport also sponsors special promotions throughout the year.

As you’d expect from a first-class, cutting-edge international organization, The Calgary Airport Authority provides valuable information in a comprehensive website.

At the website mentioned above, you can monitor flight arrivals and departures, learn about the airport’s services, and even find a job in the complex.

Whenever you visit Calgary International Airport, you can be sure that Calgary Airport Authority is keeping things running—and flying—smoothly.

Your visit is appreciated and if you want to be advised of changes and/or additions, simply click on the ORANGE BUTTON in the top left corner of this page, to add us to your RSS reader.

Not sure what that is? Just click on What's an RSS feed?, you'll see in the top left corner as well.

Now, for those who enjoy reading books, here is a page that will allow you to select some books about Calgary and area.

Now before you leave this page, you should visit my Digital Store where you can get a pretty good deal just for visiting!

Finally, here is a place where you may be able to locate a long lost relative or an old schoolmate.

Calgary Stampede

Every July, Calgary's perennial rough-and-ready Cowtown image is thrust to the forefront when a fever known as Stampede hits town. For 10 days, Calgarians let their hair down--business leaders don Stetsons, bankers wear boots, half the town walks around in too-tight denim outfits, and the rate of serious crime drops. For most Calgarians, it is known simply as The Week (always capitalized). It is a celebration of the city's past--of endless sunny days when life was broncos, bulls, and steers, of cowboys riding through the streets, and saloons on every corner. But it is not just about the past. It's the Cowtown image Calgarians cherish and the frontier image that visitors expect. On downtown streets, everyone is your neighbor. Flapjacks and bacon are served free of charge around the city; normally staid citizens shout "Ya-HOO!" for no particular reason; Indians ride up and down the streets on horseback; and there's drinking and dancing until dawn every night.

STAMPEDE HIGHLIGHTS

The epicenter of the action is Stampede Park, immediately south of the city center, but the action kicks off downtown with the Stampede Parade (second Friday in July). The approximately 150 floats include close to 4,000 people and 700 horses, and the procession takes two hours to pass any one point. It features an amazing array of floats, each cheered by 250,000 people who line the streets up to 10 deep. The loudest "Ya-HOOs" are usually reserved for Alberta's oldest residents and Stampede royalty, but this is the Stampede, so even politicians and street sweepers elicit enthusiastic cheers.

Rodeo: The pinnacle of any cowboy's career is walking away with the $50,000 winner-take-all on the last day of competition in the Calgary Stampede. For the first eight days, heats are held each afternoon from 1:30 p.m., with finals held the last Saturday and Sunday. Although Stampede Week is about a lot more than the rodeo, everyone loves to watch this event. Cowboys compete in bronc riding, bareback riding, bull riding, calf roping, and steer wrestling, and cowgirls compete in barrel racing. Wild cow milking, a wild horse race, bull fighting, and nonstop chatter from hilarious rodeo clowns all keep the action going between the more traditional rodeo events.

Chuck Wagon Races: The Rangeland Derby chuck wagon races feature nine heats each evening starting at 8 p.m. At the end of the week, the top four drivers from the preliminary rounds compete in a winner-take-all, $50,000 dash-for-the-cash final. Chuck wagon racing is an exciting sport any time, but at the Stampede the pressure is intense as drivers push themselves to stay in the running. The grandstand in the infield makes steering the chuck wagons through an initial figure eight difficult, heightening the action before they burst onto the track for what is known as the Half Mile of Hell to the finish line. The first team across the finish line does not always win the race; drivers must avoid 34 penalties, ranging from one to 10 seconds added to the overall time.

Other Stampede Park Attractions: At the Indian Village the five nations who signed Treaty Seven 100 years ago--the Blackfoot, Blood, Piegan, Sarcee, and Stoney--set up camp for the duration of the Stampede. Each tepee has its own colorful design. Behind the village is a stage where native dance competitions are held. The cavernous Roundup Centre holds various commercial exhibits and a showcase of western art and photography. Centennial Fair is an outdoor stage with events for children such as duck races and magicians. In the Agricultural Building, livestock is displayed, and next door in the John Deere Show Ring, the World Blacksmith's Competition and horse shows take place. A midway takes center stage through the western edge of the park with the thrills and spills of rides such as the reverse bungee drawing as many spectators than paying customers.

Rope Square: During the Stampede, downtown's Olympic Plaza is known as Rope Square. Every morning, 8:30-10:30 a.m., free pancake breakfasts are served from the back of chuck wagons. For the rest of the morning, the square is the scene for a variety of entertainment, which might include country-music bands, native dance groups, marching bands, or mock gunfights. West along Stephen Avenue Walk, square dancing takes place each morning at 10 a.m. Also at 10, horse-drawn carriages leave the Fairmont Palliser for an hour-long tour through town.

STAMPEDE TICKETING

Advance tickets for the afternoon rodeos and evening chuck wagon races/grandstand shows go on sale nearly one year ahead of time. The good seats are sold out well in advance. The grandstand is divided into sections, each with a different price tag. The best views are from "A" section, closest to the infield yet high enough not to miss all the action. To either side are the "B" and "C" sections, also with good views. Above the main level is the Clubhouse level, divided into another four sections, all enclosed by glass and air-conditioned. Ticket prices for the first eight days of rodeo competition range $24-49 ($45 for section A). The evening chuck wagon races/grandstand shows run $29-65 ($58 for section A).

If you didn't purchase tickets in advance, you'll need to pay the general admission at the gate ($15) then you can purchase “rush seating” tickets for the afternoon's rodeo ($15) or the chuck wagon race/grandstand show ($20) from the booths in front of the grandstand. With this access you’ll have access only to either an area of the infield with poor views or seats well away from the action. Purchasing tickets in advance is definitely the preferred option.