CALGARY - Canadian Rockies: Including Banff and Jasper National Parks - page 465

from southern Alberta, rode the legendary bronc Cyclone for eight seconds to collect the
world-championship saddle and $1,000.
The following year, Weadick took the show to Winnipeg. Then World War I intervened,
and not until 1919 was the Calgary show revived with Weadick at the helm. In the era of
popular Hollywood westerns, Weadick convinced moviemakers down south that the event
was worthy of screening. In 1925, Calgary Stampede was released, putting the city on the
map. As it turned out, the inaugural show wasn't the first and last, but rather the beginning
of an annual extravaganza that is billed, and rightly so, as The Greatest Outdoor Show on
Earth.
STAMPEDE PARADE
Although Stampede Park opens on Thursday evening for Sneak-a-Peek (an event that
alone attracts approximately 40,000 eager patrons), Stampede Week officially begins Fri-
day morning with a spectacular parade through the streets of downtown Calgary. The ap-
proximately 150 floats include close to 4,000 parade participants and 700 horses, and the
procession takes two hours to pass any one point. It features an amazing array of floats,
each cheered by the 250,000 people who line the streets up to 10 deep. The loudest “Ya-
hoos” are usually reserved for Alberta's oldest residents, Stampede royalty, and members
of Calgary's professional sports teams, but this is the Stampede, so even politicians and
street sweepers elicit enthusiastic cheers.
The parade proceeds west along 6th Avenue from 2nd Street SE, then south on 10th
Street SW and east on 9th Avenue. Starting time is 9am, but crowds start gathering at 6am,
and you'll be lucky to get a front-row spot much after 7am.
SPRUCE MEADOWS
It is somewhat ironic that a city known around the world for its rodeo is also home
to the world's premier show-jumping facility, Spruce Meadows (Spruce Meadows
Way, 403/974-4200, www.sprucemeadows.com ) . The 120-hectare (300-acre) facil-
ity, with a wonderfully refined atmosphere, comprises six grassed outdoor rings,
two indoor arenas, seven stables holding 700 horse stalls, 90 full-time employees
(and many thousands of volunteers), and its own television station that broadcasts
worldwide.