Calgary Stampede, July 7: Robot Rodeo set to begin Military display seeing heavy foot traffic
'Even though it's gone through a number of changes, there are three underlying principles that have guided the chuckwagon races since Day 1,' said Melville, who loves talking about the sport his grandfather, Orville Strandquist, excelled in at as both a driver and an outrider for seven decades up until the 1990s.
Article content
Article content
While the Calgary Stampede is not likely to lose its boastful moniker 'The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth,' organizers of the 10-day spectacle have been taking great effort in recent years to add to its branding to emphasize there is more than a rodeo happening at Stampede Park.
Article content
Article content
It is also being sold as 'The Greatest Music Festival in the West,' a testament to the eclectic music programming that takes over four venues on the Stampede grounds.
Article content
Where else can you watch fireworks 10 days in a row? Calgary has the special privilege of a spectacular nighttime show starting at around 11 p.m. from July 4 to 13 while the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth takes over the city.
Article content
Want to know where you can best see the fireworks? Here are the four best spots to take in the Stampede fireworks from around the city.
Article content
Stampede Park
Article content
While not free, this option gets you the best possible view. The fireworks shoot off right after the Grandstand show ends and you can get the best close-up view while on the Midway or right outside the rodeo grounds.
Article content
Article content
Scotsman's Hill
Article content
This spot has the best free vantage point. It is right across the river from the Stampede grounds in the community of Ramsey.
Article content
Scotsman's Hill a very popular spot for fireworks viewing so show up early to find a spot to park and sit. Getting dropped off by a generous family member or a ride-share or taxi is a great option.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
3 days ago
- CTV News
Expert tips on how to get the most out of your backyard this summer
Melissa and Rosey flaunt some fun outdoor games to keep you active and entertained in the backyard this summer. Summertime is the perfect time to get outside, but you don't have to go far to find that perfect summer oasis. You can make it yourself in your own backyard. From décor to games, there are many ways to spruce up your space to make it a perfect getaway right outside your door and a place where everyone will want to be, day or night. Here are some tips from the experts who stopped by CTV Morning Live. Decorations and lighting Play How to create a backyard oasis We help you create your own backyard space you and your neighbours will love with HGTV Designer Jo Alcorn! HGTV Designer Jo Alcorn, owner of Alcorn Home Design, offered some tips on how to decorate your yard for form, function, and even a little privacy. 'We want to extend our summers as much as possible and some of us just don't have the privacy that others have. Privacy screens and walls and fences are a big trend and great for DIYers. You can create it to be any colour, size, or shape if you're doing it yourself,' she says. Adding plants and greenery to it can personalize it even more. 'Give it that warm ambience and coziness so that you do create that kind of getaway and paradise for the summer.' Next, don't forget the lights. While the days are longer, nighttime is a special time and lighting makes a big difference. 'A lot of time, people forget about the true ambience and romance that lighting does,' says Alcorn. 'There's solar lanterns you can get, there's little table lights you can add, the patio string lights and some candles, and that's going to really set that mood and that stage and make you feel like you're away and just not sitting in the backyard. Do not forget about your lighting.' Finally, the trick to fun and functional patio furniture is to mix heights and create 'sip stops' around the yard, where guests will want to linger. 'Instead of just putting out drinks and your nibbles, it really is about adding elevation. Adding a tray, little vignettes and groupings, you'll be amazed on how more exciting it is,' Alcorn says. 'It really just extends that summer and creates this fun, and it's all in those little details. Any time you can add different heights, it really is going to create a little bit more of that fun wow factor.' She says you can make it a little bit more special by adding in some little fun décor pieces with functional items. 'It's really going to create that wow factor that your guests are going to enjoy, or even just you if you're hanging out by yourself.' Fun and games Backyard games can be fun for kids and adults. From lawn bowling to ring toss, getting active in the backyard could be just a phone call away. Games4U is an Ottawa company that offers lawn games for rent, including cornhole, giant Jenga, giant chess, ladder golf, and more. The company says it can help with birthday parties, team-building events, and friendly competitions. Birdwatching Migrating birds have returned to Ottawa for the summer, and you can attract them to your backyard. If you're looking to welcome feathered friends to the yard, there are ways to set up bird feeders that will bring colourful and interesting avians right to you. Kindell Tolmie, with Wild Birds Unlimited Kanata and Ottawa, says different kinds of bird feeders and bird food can attract different kinds of birds. 'Year round, we have our woodpeckers, cardinals, goldfinches, nuthatches to name a few. In the summer months, we see birds migrate in. Hummingbirds are just here for the summer. Orioles, everyone loves to attract orioles to their yard, these beautiful orange birds,' she says. 'I always like to suggest getting started with a feeder that will attract a variety of birds. I love our seed cylinders, pressed birdseed that can be hung in a feeder that will be attractive to a variety of birds.' But it's not just about the food. Offering water would be essential, especially at this time of year with all the heat that we've had. A birdbath is great. The birds will be able to clean their feathers. They can't sweat like we do, they pant like dogs, or they need water,' says Tolmie. 'And look at your garden. Add in native plants that will offer birds areas to eat and to nest. Those are all important parts of a bird-friendly habitat in your yard.' Sometimes you might attract birds that aren't as friendly. Tolmie says a common question is what to do about grackles. 'They have big appetites. We have certain foods. We have certain feeders that have smaller ports that the grackles won't be able to get to, a seed called NutraSaff is a great solution as well,' she says. This birdseed, also known as golden safflower, is not attractive to grackles or to squirrels, Wild Birds Unlimited says. Stargazing The sun has set, the candles have burned down, and the stars have come out. What better time to gaze up into the night sky than summer? Gary Boyle, the Backyard Astronomer, says nighttime has always been magical. 'Ever since the beginning of time, people have looked at the night sky in awe, in beauty, superstition, fear, but nowadays, we know a lot about the sky.' If you're living in the city, where streetlights dim the stars, you can still enjoy some of the brighter objects in the night sky. 'Anyone can look at the sky, even in the city where the brightest things are the moon and the planets. You're not restricted to the countryside, although, if people have never looked at a true county sky, I really think they should,' says Boyle. Items to look for are binoculars and telescopes. 'With binoculars, the confusing part that people always read is 10 x 42… that really is it multiplies 10 times and the 42 is the millimetres of the oculars in the front. Bigger is better, you see more, but then they get heavier,' he says. When it comes to a backyard telescope, it may be costly, but you'll be much happier in the long run with a kind of telescope called a Newtonian reflector. 'They run for about $1,000, but I've had this one since 1977, so once you buy quality instrumentation, it really helps,' Boyle said. 'There are reputable dealers online. Don't go to the big box stores. It'll be $200, but it'll be in next year's garage sale.' To learn more about the night sky, Boyle says there are smartphone apps you can use to find out what to see and when. 'Sky Guide is one of the best ones that I recommend, and there's so many free ones out there,' he says. 'One great thing about this is you see in colour, the various nebulas, the gaseous clouds that are making stars right now, solar nurseries. Once you click on any star, it gives you pages about that star.' Boyle has more tips and information at his website, where you can also find information about star viewing parties and upcoming celestial events.
CTV News
5 days ago
- CTV News
Wrapping up Backyard Fun Week!
Ottawa Watch Melissa and Rosey flaunt some fun outdoor games to keep you active and entertained in the backyard this summer.
Toronto Sun
7 days ago
- Toronto Sun
Stampede bartender vows 'never' to do it again, citing abusive crowds and marathon shifts
The Calgary Stampede is a rodeo at heart, but has developed a culture for long nights and in some cases, heavy consumption. One Stampede bartender is feeling the effects, and think they may be present city wide The Badlands music festival tent is causing some noise issues for the people that live nearby in Calgary on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. Darren Makowichuk/Postmedia An Alberta bartender is vowing to never again work during the Stampede, citing increasingly poor behaviour by revellers. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account And a scientific study is giving credence to those concerns, citing an increase in health issues during the 10-day party. Kelly Hanasyk believes the drinking culture around Stampede contributes to deteriorating mental health. She was on the front lines, having driven from her home in Edmonton to bartend in one of the numerous party tent pop-ups around the city for the full 10-day run. She documented the experience on TikTok, with one video garnering more than 1.9-million views. She said she saw a clear degradation in the public over the course of her time behind a bar. By the second weekend, guests were more aggressive and demanding, and at times outright hostile. 'Any environment where people are drinking copious amounts for 10 days straight is not healthy for anyone,' Hanasyk said. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. A three-year long study published in the Canadian Journal for Emergency Medicine found that during the course of the Stampede, emergency departments saw a 24 per cent increase in the diagnosis of substance misuse. The study found a general increase in emergency visits, with a sharper spike in visits at nighttime and by men. Sarah Rosenfeld is the associate director of counselling initiatives at the Calgary Counselling Centre. She said the key to navigating such an event is to build out a support group of peers, who can check in with each other without the pressure to participate. 'We kind of have a collective responsibility, in my opinion, to be able to look after one another, but we also need to be able to have the skills and knowledge to be able to navigate some of those more difficult situations because it can be hard to have those conversations, right? This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'It can be hard to support people in the way that you think they might need to be helped,' Rosenfeld said. Hanasyk said that those working during Stampede were particularly vulnerable to wear and tear, due to incredibly long working hours. She said multiple employees worked shifts longer than 20 hours straight, pushed by an ambiguity around the gratuity that they were owed at end of the night. With much of the income being dispersed in cash, she said it was impossible to know if you were being equally compensated. 'You're trying to manage competing priorities, right? So I think for some folks, that's a source of income as well that they wouldn't otherwise have access to,' Rosenfeld said. She added that sleep issues among those with unusual work hours is well documented. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Lack of quality sleep does affect decision-making, does affect our emotions, does affect our judgment,' she said. Hanasyk has been in the hospitality industry for more than a decade, and said she came into the event expecting many of the stress factors in play. But not all of her co-workers had those same expectations, as many had never worked in a service role before the Stampede. 'The other bartender that I was with was so overwhelmed she had to leave the floor twice to go and cry in the back alley,' Hanasyk said. 'I was put on a bar with a school teacher. She has no industry experience and it was very obviously not going to go well.' 'They're never going to do it again. I'm never going to do it again,' she said. 'I want to take a step back from the industry as a whole after this experience.' ktulloch@ Celebrity Crime Entertainment Toronto Maple Leafs Editorial Cartoons
