Once a year Calgary is transformed into a rockin' rodeo town, as the best cowboys in the world converge for the Calgary Stampede. We flew into town on the first day and were lucky enough to catch the opening procession as it came out of town. The floats represented both historic and modern interests - ranging from wild west banks, trains, and firemen right through to today's army. The Stampede is a complete day out, with the main show in the ring at Stampede Park. Surrounding the ring are food stalls, a fun fair, casino, and several music tents - the final nights attract some big acts. We had tickets to the afternoon show, and luckily the sun was out for us. The Stampede includes not just rodeo but also bull riding, steer wrestling, tie down roping and other dangerous challenges. 2006 was the first year for a new format, and it's big money - a total of one million dollars in prize money! The worlds best cowboys and cowgirls compete across fourteen days, often risking life and limb for the big prizes. Ladies barrel racing is one of the favourites, but we weren't around long enough to catch it. The halftime show was a display of hoop dancing, a tribal tradition. Interesting and no doubt very difficult, although I'm not sure how many people know how to do it.
