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talktodiana

~ Igniting the power and passion in others…

talktodiana

Tag Archives: Calgary Stampede

Come Hell or High Water

17 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by dianasschwenk in Hump Day Chronicles, In My Opinion, My Stories, Out and About

≈ 39 Comments

Tags

Alberta Strong, Calgary, Calgary Stampede, Canadian, Chris Hadfield, community, Diana Schwenk, Events, Hump Day Chronicles, living in the moment, memories, Southern Alberta Floods 2013, Stampede 101

Y A H O O!

A Stampede Selfie for your amusement

A Stampede selfie for your amusement

Well we did it folks!

Stampede 101 went off seemingly without a hitch, although I’ve heard it said that it’s sort of like when your in-laws visit – we kind of had to sweep some stuff under the rug and hope they don’t look too closely.

But from my vantage point the Calgary Stampede and Exhibition 2013 was a great success in spite of recent floods!

Not only did the show go on, but the Stampede raised over $2,000,000 through the sale of ‘Come Hell or High Water’  T-shirts in support of flood relief!

My BFF and I checked out the Stampede grounds on Thursday (Sneak A Peek night).  Admission was half price so a mere $8 got us in.

Sure the Saddledome was closed (with water levels still sitting at about the 8th row of seats)  and the lower level of the Big Four was closed, but other than that, it was business as usual.

My first stop was Lammle’s  to get a new Cowboy hat – featured in the selfie  above. (Last year’s hat grew bigger or my head shrank – I’m not sure which) 🙂

Then we checked out the midway where you can get anything you can imagine deep-fried including butter!  I didn’t try it but was super curious about how one would go about doing this, so this roving reporter (that be me)  had to check it out knowing you would want to know as well.

Deep-fried butter is made by coating frozen cubed butter with batter and deep-frying it. Mmmmm 🙂 not for this cowgirl!

The midway also housed all the rides. As a chicken (I’m not ashamed to say so)  I watched as others rode the incredibly frightful rides.

When it came time to eat, my BFF opted for deep-fried Mac -n- Cheese from one of the food trucks and I went for Poutine the food of my province of birth.

After a good {A-hem}  meal, it was time to check out the booths in the BMO Centre (Perfect timing as it had started to rain)

Always the question-asker –  I really can’t help it, I swear – I managed to (unintentionally)  piss off a few of the folks doing demonstrations of their products.

Like the guy who was selling mats to wipe your feet off on thus preventing people from dragging mud through the house; to which I asked why don’t you just take your shoes off? [insert chirping cricket here]

And the lady who was selling a 3-step jewelry cleaner and demonstrated it to us. I told her I had been looking for jewelry cleaner recently and when I couldn’t find any I googled it and came up with this 1-step baking soda, tin foil, boiling water thing, how cool is that? [Apparently it wasn’t that cool.]

I hadn’t noticed at the time, but they weren’t impressed with my helpful tips, or so my BFF gleefully told me later. I’m glad I’ve been able to be a constant source of entertainment for her over the years. [Can you see me roll my eyes?]

~

On Friday, the official start of Stampede 101, the Stampede parade took its usual route starting on 6th Ave. and finishing on 9th Ave. I think there were over 700 horses in the parade and lots of floats.

But here’s the exciting thing.

Guess who was this year’s Parade Marshall??

Give up???

It was Col. Chris Hadfield!!

You know?

The super cool Canadian Space Commander who tweeted from space!?!!

I gotta tell ya, between this and the brilliant organization of flood relief from the Mayor’s office and the selflessness of volunteers trudging through mud and water to help out, I was just brimming over with that ‘Wild west Calgarian pioneer, Alberta Strong, Canadian spirit that says two World Wars and the Great Depression never caused us to cancel a Stampede so why should we let this flood do that’  pride!

Can’t you just see me with my hand on my chest, (IN A PATRIOTIC WAY!!!)  standing tall and proud?

Well there you have it – those are the two official events I took part in. The Stampede runs for 10 days in July every year and has been doing so since the first one in 1912.

This year over a million people came through the turnstiles. If you think of the Stampede grounds as a city, that would make it the 3rd largest city in Alberta.

One of my absolute favourite things about these 10 glorious days is how freakin’ good looking everybody becomes in cowboy gear. I’m thinking we outta seriously consider dressing this way every day of the year!

Well the Stampede ended on Sunday. Calgary is a bit quieter now. I have to admit I’m a bit sad about that. Many are back to wearing their fruit of the looms high up and their pants down low with the crotch somewhere around knee level. Alas, life is back to normal.

~

There is still a lot of work to be done to pick ourselves up after the flood. The true cost of all the damage may not be understood for years to come but I have no doubt our western pioneer spirit will triumph and together, just as in the days of old, we will come out stronger than before!

If you haven’t seen it yet, check out Col. Chris Hadfield’s version [performed in space]  of Space Oddity below.

~ HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~

What’s your favourite event in your city?

The Show Must Go On!

23 Sunday Jun 2013

Posted by dianasschwenk in Diana's Enormous Book of Quotes, My Stories

≈ 18 Comments

Tags

200 words, believe, Calgary, Calgary Stampede, community, courage, Diana Schwenk, Diana's Enormous Book of Quotes, kindness, Mayor Naheed Nenshi, Southern Alberta Floods 2013

Even Mayor Naheed Nenshi said he “wants his new boots” for the Stampede… “It may look different but the show will go on” he told CTV News.

Photo by AMP Radio Saddledome, site of the Calgary Stampede Calgary Alberta Canada THE RAINBOW IS A PROMISE...

Photo by AMP Radio
Saddledome, site of the Calgary Stampede
Calgary Alberta Canada
THE RAINBOW IS A PROMISE…

Calgary’s Mayor has been a rock during this devastating flood. He has done an incredible job of keeping Calgarians updated on communities that are being evacuated, ways that we can help – and has made full use of social media to do so.

The Calgary Stampede and Exhibition (The Greatest Outdoor Rodeo on Earth)  is scheduled for July 5 – 14 and Calgarians are determined for the show to go on!

I have no doubt in my mind that it will!

Efforts to support the victims of the worst flood Calgary has seen since 1932 continue to tirelessly go on. I am so inspired by those who are helping. As I type, a group of people are gathering next door to attend a concert organized by the coolest neighbour ever!  This concert will raise funds to provide relief for flood victims.

Coolest Neighbour EVER

Coolest Neighbour EVER!!

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~

Bye, bye summer

26 Wednesday Sep 2012

Posted by dianasschwenk in Hump Day Chronicles, My Stories, Out and About

≈ 48 Comments

Tags

Calgary Stampede, changing seasons, Diana Schwenk, fall, memories, summer

The view from my balcony

One yellow, one green

Fall and summer and in between

Bye, bye summer, how great you’ve been.

I love summer. I love the sunshine. I love the heat.

But all good things must come to an end.

So in an effort to console myself, I went for a walk, camera in tow, to capture the beauty of fall.

With every picture I snapped,  I was energized by the beauty around me.

Taking a camera made me look – actually look at the beauty around me.

I took 70 pictures and saved the best ones for you.

My neighbour’s yard

I love my neighbour’s house. I even like that this fence is in dire need of a paint job, it looks more vintage this way. It’s a 100-year-old house which means it’s been around as long as the greatest outdoor show in the world; The Calgary Stampede and Exhibition.

The curb in front of my place

An old hotel converted into condos at the end of my street

You might recognize the tops of these buildings as they’re featured on my banner photograph at the top of my blog. I once got a glimpse inside and it has those old elevators with the gate that you have to pull open and the apartments have hardwood floors and 7′ ceilings.

Summer still holding on

These flowers continue to hang on, mostly because, although it’s autumn we are still having summer like temperatures. It was around 25c (77f) this day. These flowers got me thinking about how I’m holding on to the summer of my life. At 49, it would seem I’m more in the fall of my life now…well really, really early fall!

Look at that berry!

I’m no photographer but I was very impressed with this photo! I like how clear and crisp it is in the forefront and how it blurs in the background. Wish I could say that was intentional but…

I have noticed how all the photogs mention what type of camera they have and although I’m not in their class by a far shot…I have a finepix Z, it’s set to ‘automatic’ and slides nicely into the front pocket of my jeans! 😉

I remember blowing these seeds when I was little

Blowing these seeds, holding buttercups under my chin and chewing on the sweet nectar of clovers all hold the most wonderful childhood memories for me.

Hey, I guess that’s when I was in the spring of my life. 🙂

Looking up through the branches

I stood under this tree and aimed up. You can’t really tell by this photo but the sky was completely clear.

The dead wood adorned

Don’t tell anyone, but I actually stepped onto private property to take this shot. I just love this dead piece of wood in their front yard and how pretty it looks with the yellow leaves.

A solitary leaf rests on the roots of the tree

A solitary leaf under the tree it probably fell from. I tripped on these roots and became aware of this leaf as if it was vying for my attention so I snapped a picture.

joyful colours hug the trunk

This is one of my favourite shots of the day. I love the colours and couldn’t have set it up to look prettier if I tried!

oops is that my shadow bottom right?

These brilliantly red berries caught my eye

These berries look juicy enough to eat but they’re poisonous from what I’ve heard. Does anyone know what they are?

One of the side streets near my home

Yes, summer is ending and I’ve been really sad about it. But on this day I’ve seen the beauty of autumn and have marveled at it. And just like fall reveals new wonders, perhaps there are wonders yet to be revealed in the autumn of my life.

What is your favourite season?

The Calgary Stampede 100 Day Kick Off

29 Thursday Mar 2012

Posted by dianasschwenk in Out and About

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Calgary, Calgary Stampede, Cowboy, Cowgirl, Dave Kelly, David Chalack, Events, Naheed Nenshi, Paul Brandt, Stampede100

I love Calgary’s Stampede. Everybody just looks better in Cowboy/girl outfits

Originally from Montreal, I now consider myself a Calgarian. When I first got here in 1990, Calgary’s population was around 625,000. As of 2011, the City of Calgary had a population of 1,096,833 and a metropolitan population of 1,214,839. Calgary has seen a lot of growth! What really makes Calgary unique is its Stampede which is held every year in July.  It attracts visitors from all over the world. The Calgary Stampede was started in 1912 and that makes this year even more exciting as we will be celebrating our 100th year!

On March 29, 2012, Calgary’s mayor, Naheed Nenshi declared it to be Dress Western Day. For those who don’t live in Calgary, or for those who do but couldn’t attend the March 29th 100-day countdown to the Calgary Stampede, here’s my take of the day’s events. First things first though. When attending such an event one must give careful consideration to the way one dresses. Cowboy boots – check. Cowboy hat – check. Western snap shirt – check. Yes, now I was ready to go down to the event!

I headed down from 17th Avenue SW to Stephen Avenue Mall, where to my delight, I saw the official Stampede band performing and marching toward Olympic Plaza. It was the perfect day for this event; the sun was shining and it was warm. Dave Kelly, a brilliant choice for emcee, remarked that the volunteer committee who had planned this event hoped for a good turn out but weren’t sure how many people would attend. As you can see, Olympic Plaza was filled to the brim with thousands of people! I was told that this event was put on by 2500 volunteers. Congratulations!!

Calgarians love the Stampede which was evident by the sheer size of the crowd and the goodwill of those attending. Everyone was just so friendly and happy to be there. There were Square Dancers. First Nations people performed a traditional dance. And oh my (fanning myself) Alberta’s very own Paul Brandt graced the stage! I’m not even a Country music fan but when Paul hits those low notes….well ladies you know what I mean…

Big Screen Photo of Paul Brandt

People in attendance also included Stampede volunteers, Calgary Police Services, Calgary Fire Department, Canadian Armed forces personnel, Stampede mascots and cowboys and cowgirls of all sizes and ages! I even ran into a few clowns.

This year’s Calgary Stampede will run from July 6-15, 2012. Highlights of the Calgary Stampede Centennial will include:

  • Equine Show in the Stampede Corral
  • Outlaw Roller Coaster,Bell Centennial Plaza

    Volunteers

  • Agriculture Celebration Zone in the Victoria Pavilion
  • TransAlta Grandstand Show “Century” featuring (fanning myself again!) Paul Brandt and starring the Young Canadians of the Calgary Stampede.

If ever there was a year to come to Calgary for the Stampede, this is the one. Let’s turn 100 together!

Photos

This is the uniform that the CPS wore in the '30's and 40's

 When I asked to take their picture, these kind officers invited me to be in the photo with them!

I call him the ZZ Top Cowboy

Me an' the guys from Stampede Board

Thanks for snapping this photo for me Dr. David Chalack, immediate past president of the Calgary Stampede!

These two looked so beautiful together, I asked permission to take their photo.

Thank you for your service to our country!

Have you ever been to the Calgary Stampede? Plan on checking it out this year?

Talk to Diana


"I RELATE WITH, PROMOTE AND SPEAK COMMUNITY WHEREVER I AM..."

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