Editing Calgary Stampede (section)

==Events==

===Parade===
[[File:Mounties at the Calgary Stampede Parade 2011.jpg|thumb|RCMP members in the Stampede Parade]]
The parade serves as the official opening of the Stampede and begins shortly before 9 a.m. on the first Friday of the event.<ref name="CTVParade">{{citation |url=https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/2009-calgary-stampede-parade-1.413401 |title=2009 Stampede parade |publisher=CTV News |date=2009-07-03 |access-date=2010-05-28 |archive-date=2013-10-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029210357/http://calgary.ctvnews.ca/2009-calgary-stampede-parade-1.413401 |url-status=live }}</ref> Each year features a different parade marshal, chosen to reflect the public's interests at that time. Politicians, athletes, actors and other dignitaries have all served as marshals.<ref>{{harvnb|Dixon|Read|2005|p=14}}</ref> The event features dozens of marching bands, over 150 floats and hundreds of horses with entrants from around the world,<ref name="CTVParade" /><ref>{{citation |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/hot-sunny-parade-kicks-off-calgary-stampede-1.872918 |title=Hot, sunny parade kicks off Calgary Stampede |publisher=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] |date=2010-07-09 |access-date=2011-07-08 |archive-date=2012-11-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109222531/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/story/2010/07/09/calgary-stampede-parade.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and combines western themes with modern ones. Cowboys, First Nations dancers and members of the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]] in their red serges are joined by clowns, bands, politicians and business leaders.<ref name="Foran74">{{harvnb|Foran|2008|p=74}}</ref> The first Stampede parade, held in 1912, was attended by 75,000 people, greater than the city's population at the time.<ref>{{harvnb|Dixon|Read|2005|p=11}}</ref> As many as 350,000 people attended the parade in 2009,<ref name="CTVParade" /> while the presence of [[Prince William, Duke of Cambridge|Prince William]] and [[Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge|Catherine]], Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, at the 2011 parade as part of their [[2011 royal tour of Canada|tour of Canada]] increased attendance to a record estimate of 425,000.<ref>{{citation |last=Schneider |first=Katie |url=http://www.calgarysun.com/2011/07/09/tourism-officials-tally-royal-boost |title=Tourism officials tally royal boost |work=Calgary Sun |date=2011-07-09 |access-date=2011-07-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110813230356/http://www.calgarysun.com/2011/07/09/tourism-officials-tally-royal-boost |archive-date=2011-08-13 }}</ref>

The parade was downsized and closed to the public in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref name=":5" />

===Rodeo===
{{further|List of Calgary Stampede Rodeo Champions}}
[[File:Barrel-Racing-Szmurlo.jpg|200px|thumb|A cowgirl races around a barrel|alt=A woman on horseback makes a sharp turn around a white barrel.]]

The rodeo is the heart of the Calgary Stampede.<ref name="Dixon78">{{harvnb|Dixon|Read|2005|p=78}}</ref> It is one of the largest,<ref name="Baker">{{citation |last=Baker |first=Linda |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/21/business/21calgary.html |title=A boom in office towers in Calgary |work=The New York Times |date=2009-01-20 |access-date=2010-05-16 |archive-date=2017-10-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171004040447/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/21/business/21calgary.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and the most famous event of its kind in the world.<ref name="Foran205">{{harvnb|Foran|2008|p=205}}</ref> With a prize of $100,000 to the winner of each major discipline and $1,000,000 total on championship day alone, it also offers the richest payout.<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/story.html?id=ce1fbe0d-d4ff-4f0d-b3ff-cec5311a633b |title=$1 million Sunday lives up to its billing at Stampede |publisher=CanWest Media |date=2008-07-14 |access-date=2010-05-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110112909/http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/story.html?id=ce1fbe0d-d4ff-4f0d-b3ff-cec5311a633b |archive-date=2012-11-10 }}</ref> Cowboys consider performing in front of over 20,000 fans daily to be the highlight of the rodeo season.<ref name="Dixon78" />

There are six major disciplines&nbsp;– [[bull riding]], [[barrel racing]], [[steer wrestling]], [[calf roping|tie down roping]], [[saddle bronc and bareback riding]]&nbsp;– and four novice events&nbsp;– junior [[steer riding]], novice bareback, novice saddle bronc and wild pony racing.<ref>{{citation |url=http://cs.calgarystampede.com/events/rodeo/ |title=Rodeo |publisher=Calgary Stampede |access-date=2010-05-21 |archive-date=2011-07-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707043614/http://cs.calgarystampede.com/events/rodeo |url-status=live }}</ref> Each event is organized as its own tournament, and the cowboys and girls are divided into two pools. The first pool competes each night for the first four nights, and the second each night for four nights following. The top four in each pool advance to the Sunday final, and the remainder compete on Saturday for a wild card spot in the final. The competitor with the best time or score on Sunday wins the $100,000 grand prize.<ref>{{citation|title=2009 Calgary Stampede Media Guide |publisher=Calgary Stampede |url=http://news.calgarystampede.com/Theme/Calgary/files/doc_downloads/2009_media-guide_final_small.pdf |page=75 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120201024623/http://news.calgarystampede.com/Theme/Calgary/files/doc_downloads/2009_media-guide_final_small.pdf |archive-date=2012-02-01 }}</ref>

Most livestock for the rodeo events come from the {{convert|22,000|acre|km2|adj=on}} Stampede Ranch located near the town of [[Hanna, Alberta|Hanna]].<ref name="Dixon67">{{harvnb|Dixon|Read|2005|p=67}}</ref> The ranch was created in 1961 as a means of improving the quality of bucking horses and bulls and to guarantee supply.<ref>{{citation |url=http://cs.calgarystampede.com/events/rodeo/ranch/ |title=Stampede Ranch |publisher=Calgary Stampede |access-date=2011-06-04 |archive-date=2011-06-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611050041/http://cs.calgarystampede.com/events/rodeo/ranch/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The first of its kind in North America,<ref name="Dixon67" /> the Stampede Ranch operates a breeding program that produces some of the top rodeo stock in the world and supplies rodeos throughout southern Alberta, and as far south as [[Las Vegas Valley|Las Vegas]].<ref>{{citation |last=Hanson |first=Cheri |title=At home on the range |work=Calgary Herald |date=2002-07-04 |page=SE10}}</ref>

===Rangeland Derby===
[[File:Stampede chuckwagon race.JPG|thumb|Chuckwagon races are a popular attraction.|alt=Four wagons driven by teams of four horses race down a dirt track. Several riders on horseback follow as a crowd of spectators looks on from behind a guardrail.]]
Weadick is credited with inventing the sport of [[chuckwagon racing]] in 1923, inspired either by seeing a similar event in 1922 at the [[Gleichen, Alberta|Gleichen Stampede]] or watching impromptu races as he grew up.<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.wpca.com/history.aspx |title=History |publisher=Western Professional Chuckwagon Association |access-date=2011-01-09 |archive-date=2010-12-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101226173117/http://wpca.com/(S(v0mizw2pbc1zrxm5cdihja55))/history.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> He devised the sport to be a new and exciting event for the newly joined Exhibition and Stampede.<ref name="CH1960Chucks">{{citation |last=Primrose |first=Tom |work=Calgary Herald Magazine |date=1960-07-09 |page=1}}</ref> Weadick invited ranchers to enter their wagons and crews to compete for a total of $275 in prize money.<ref name="CS history">{{citation |url=http://cs.calgarystampede.com/events/gmc-rangeland-derby/history.html |title=Chuckwagon races&nbsp;– History |publisher=Calgary Stampede |access-date=2012-06-06 |archive-date=2012-06-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120601221742/http://cs.calgarystampede.com/events/gmc-rangeland-derby/history.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Officially called the Rangeland Derby, and nicknamed the "half-mile of hell"<ref>{{citation |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/calgarys-half-mile-of-hell/article787609/ |title=Calgary's half-mile of hell |work=The Globe and Mail |access-date=2010-05-21 |date=2009-07-08 |archive-date=2012-10-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025082629/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/calgarys-half-mile-of-hell/article787609/ |url-status=live }}</ref> or the "dash for cash",<ref>{{cite web |title=Logan Gorst wheels to first GMC Rangeland Derby victory at Stampede |url=https://calgarysun.com/sports/other-sports/logan-gorst-wheels-to-first-gmc-rangeland-derby-victory-at-stampede |website=Calgary Sun |publisher=www.calgarysun.com |access-date=2019-07-24 |archive-date=2019-07-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724170803/https://calgarysun.com/sports/other-sports/logan-gorst-wheels-to-first-gmc-rangeland-derby-victory-at-stampede |url-status=live }}</ref> chuckwagon racing proved immediately popular and quickly became the event's largest attraction.<ref name="CH1960Chucks" /> While only six teams raced in 1923,<ref name="Gray64">{{harvnb|Gray|1985|p=64}}</ref> today's Rangeland Derby consists of 36 teams competing for $1.15 million in prize money.<ref>{{citation |url=http://cs.calgarystampede.com/events/gmc-rangeland-derby/ |title=GMC Rangeland Derby |publisher=Calgary Stampede |access-date=2012-06-06 |archive-date=2012-05-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120531214541/http://cs.calgarystampede.com/events/gmc-rangeland-derby/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Joe Carbury]] was the voice of the Rangeland Derby for 45 years, until 2008. His distinctive voice and signature phrase of "and they're offfffffff!" to announce the start of a race made him a local legend,<ref>{{citation |last=Stewart |first=Monte |title=Joe Carbury |work=Calgary Herald |date=1994-07-13 |page=D3}}</ref> and earned him induction into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.albertasportshalloffame.com/component/zoo/item/carbury-joe |title=Joe Carbury |publisher=Alberta Sports Hall of Fame |access-date=2011-07-25 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929110511/http://www.albertasportshalloffame.com/component/zoo/item/carbury-joe |archive-date=2011-09-29 }}</ref>

The chuckwagon drivers auction advertising space on their wagons before each year's Stampede. The first advertisement on the tarp cover of a chuckwagon was made in 1941, and Lloyd Nelson was the last person to win the Rangeland Derby without a sponsored wagon, doing so in 1956. The current practice of selling advertising via a tarp auction began in 1979.<ref name="Foran247">{{harvnb|Foran|2008|p=247}}</ref> The revenue generated by the auctions, a record $4 million for the 2012 Stampede,<ref>{{Citation |last=Kaufmann |first=Bill |title=Yee-haw! 100 years of the best hoedown around |work=Calgary Sun Stampede 100th Anniversary |date=June 2012 |page=2}}</ref> is considered an indicator of the strength of Calgary's economy.<ref>{{citation |last=Lewis |first=Nick |url=http://www2.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=4c5dd667-6bf2-420a-a78d-50ef7db4cf0a |title=Tarp auction tells tale of Calgary's economy |work=Calgary Herald |date=2009-03-19 |access-date=2010-05-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120902094047/http://www2.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=4c5dd667-6bf2-420a-a78d-50ef7db4cf0a |archive-date=2012-09-02 }}</ref>

The Rangeland Derby was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

===Exhibition===
[[File:Blacksmith.JPG|thumb|right|Blacksmiths demonstrate their skills at the 2010 championship|alt=Two men lean over an anvil. One is holding down a red-hot piece of metal with tongs while the other prepares to strike with a large hammer.]]
When the agricultural exhibition was first launched in 1886, Alberta was an overwhelmingly rural province. Today, agricultural producers make up less than two percent of the province's population, but the exhibition remains an integral part of the Calgary Stampede.<ref>{{harvnb|Dixon|Read|2005|p=106}}</ref> Nearly 70% of all Stampede visitors visit the Agriculture Zone for the displays and demonstrations as well as western events.<ref name="Dixon107">{{harvnb|Dixon|Read|2005|p=107}}</ref> Numerous competitions are held as part of the exhibition. The American [[National Cutting Horse Association]] sanctions a World Series of [[Cutting (sport)|Cutting]] event,<ref>{{citation |url=http://ag.calgarystampede.com/events/444-cutting-horse-competition.html |title=Cutting Horse Competition |publisher=Calgary Stampede |access-date=2011-06-07 |archive-date=2011-08-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110801211221/http://ag.calgarystampede.com/events/444-cutting-horse-competition.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and the World Championship Blacksmith Competition used to be held, attracting top [[blacksmith]]s from around the world.<ref name="Dixon107" /> Farm and ranch demonstrations feature numerous breeds of livestock along with [[Herding dog|stock dog]] trials and [[team penning]] competitions.<ref>{{harvnb|Dixon|Read|2005|p=110}}</ref>

Additionally, the exhibition serves to educate the public about Alberta's ranching and agricultural heritage along with modern food production displays through events like Ag-tivity in the city.<ref>{{citation |url=http://ag.calgarystampede.com/events/429-agrium-ag-tivity-in-the-city.html |title=Agrium Ag-tivity in the City |publisher=Calgary Stampede |access-date=2010-05-25 |archive-date=2011-07-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708111841/http://ag.calgarystampede.com/events/429-agrium-ag-tivity-in-the-city.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The Stampede works with Alberta [[4-H]] clubs to encourage youth participation in agricultural pursuits.<ref>{{harvnb|Dixon|Read|2005|p=112}}</ref>

===Midway===
The Calgary Stampede [[carnival|midway]] has been operated by [[North American Midway Entertainment]], and its predecessor [[Conklin Shows]], since 1976.<ref>{{harvnb|Foran|2008|pp=118–119}}</ref> The midway is the only part of the event operated on a for-profit basis.<ref name="Foran113">{{harvnb|Foran|2008|p=113}}</ref> It is considered an essential component of the Stampede, but is separate from the predominantly western theme.<ref>{{harvnb|Foran|2008|pp=112–113}}</ref> The midway opens on the Thursday night before other events begin, known as "sneak-a-peek" night.<ref>{{citation |url=https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/stampede-sneak-a-peek-1.666969 |title=Stampede Sneak-a-Peek |publisher=CTV Calgary |date=2011-07-07 |access-date=2012-06-06 |archive-date=2018-09-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180918004123/https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/stampede-sneak-a-peek-1.666969 |url-status=live }}</ref> In addition to the traditional rides and carnival games, the midway features four concert areas. Nashville North, a large party tent, made its debut in 1993 as a [[country music]] venue. It was followed one-year later by what is now known as the [[Coca-Cola]] Stage that offers music acts across a variety of genres.<ref>{{Citation |last=Kaufmann |first=Bill |title=North-ern exposure |work=Calgary Sun Stampede 100th Anniversary |date=June 2012 |page=31}}</ref> The Saddledome hosts headlining acts, including [[Garth Brooks]] and [[The Beach Boys]], who were booked for the Stampede's 100th anniversary in 2012.<ref>{{Citation |last=Wood |first=Damien |title=Music to our ears |work=Calgary Sun Stampede 100th Anniversary |date=June 2012 |page=44}}</ref> In 2018, the Stampede's newest concert venue, The Big Four Roadhouse, opened for Stampede-time and year-round events.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Big Four Roadhouse - Where food, drinks, music & games collide for the ultimate social experience|url=http://www.calgarystampede.com/coca-cola-stage|access-date=2020-12-08|website=Calgary Stampede|language=en|archive-date=2020-11-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126101356/https://www.calgarystampede.com/coca-cola-stage|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Market===
The Stampede Market is located in the [[BMO Centre]] on the northwest corner of the park.<ref name="StampedePark" /> It offers {{convert|38000|m2|sqft}} of retail space and in 2019 began highlighting local artisans.<ref name="CHMarket">{{Cite web|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/5464077/calgary-stampede-the-market-local-vendors/|title=The Market at Calgary Stampede opening doors for local vendors &#124; Globalnews.ca|website=Global News|access-date=2020-12-08|archive-date=2020-11-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201118162546/https://globalnews.ca/news/5464077/calgary-stampede-the-market-local-vendors/|url-status=live}}</ref> The Western Oasis, a subsection of the market, offers cowboy and western-themed artwork, bronze statues, craftwork, foods and wine.<ref name="StampedePark" /> Lured by the opportunity to show their wares to the one million people who attend the Stampede, some vendors wait years before gaining admittance, and those that do consider it one of the prime events of the year.<ref name="CHMarket" />