Embracing the Excitement Medicine Hat Stampede "Endless Summer"

As the anticipation builds for the Medicine Hat Stampede, excitement is palpable among the community and visitors alike. This year promises a vibrant lineup of events, engaging themes, and a commitment to providing unforgettable experiences. Join us as we explore what’s in store for the Stampede and how you can be part of the action.

In this year’s Stampede, the theme is "Endless Summer," which aims to encompass all the fun and festivities that summer brings. Ryan McCracken, the Marketing and Sponsorship Coordinator, shared that the theme includes not only the rodeo but also free entertainment and summer activities like enjoying a cold drink in the sun. This holistic approach ensures that attendees can experience the joy of summer through multiple facets of the event.

The Stampede thrives on community involvement, with over 30 volunteer-driven committees. If you’re interested in getting involved, Ryan encourages potential volunteers to reach out via phone or visit the Stampede office. An upcoming volunteer information night will allow interested individuals to meet committee representatives and learn about various roles available. This is a fantastic opportunity for those looking to contribute to their community and gain behind-the-scenes experience.

The events calendar is packed with thrilling activities. The traditional rodeo has seen changes this year, with two night rodeos instead of three, allowing for a more intense atmosphere and the potential for bigger acts. Performances by Tom Cochrane and Johnny Reed will kick off the festivities, promising unforgettable entertainment. Notably, the Bronx and Honky Tonks rodeo will take place from April 10 to 12, featuring all the beloved staples and a VIP patio that has been well-received in previous years.

This year, the Stampede is introducing exciting new events, including the Wild Pony Races, which will add a unique flair to the lineup. This event, brought in by committee chair Neil Siblecki, is designed to captivate audiences and create memorable moments.

Moreover, the Cars and Guitars event in August will merge classic cars with live music, featuring a Jimmy Buffett tribute concert that promises to bring a festive atmosphere to the grounds. Mark your calendars and get ready to experience the thrill of the Stampede this year!

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede

01:10 Endless Summer Theme and Marketing Strategies

03:12 Volunteer Opportunities and Community Involvement

04:21 Event Lineup and Changes for 2025

06:30 Upcoming Rodeo Events and Highlights

09:31 New Events and Cultural Experiences

12:41 Indigenous Cultural Integration in Events

14:20 July Events and Community Engagement

17:07 Royalty Contest and Parade Details

20:01 Farmers Market and Pioneer Village Activities

21:54 Summer Jam and Local Music Showcase

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Transcript

0:00

Hey, this is Brian again. And I'd like to ask you to do a favor. We can't do this work without people like you. So if you can, please. Like, share, subscribe, tell your friends about Bring Back the Porch. We're really looking forward to seeing what two night, two night rodeos will bring. And then we've got, you know, Tom Cochran with Barney Bentall to start Stampede on, the Wednesday, Thursday, Friday night rodeos. And then Saturday, we've got the doubleheader with the afternoon rodeo, and then Johnny Reed with Morgan Kleiber in the evening. So it's a it's a great lineup. And, you know, we're really, really excited to to see how well it's received by the city. This episode of Bring Back the Porch, brought to you by Bernie Leahy, River Street Realty. Let's get you home. You know, when I was a little boy, there was two things that would get me excited. Christmas and the medicine. That exhibition stampede for Christmas is gone now, but the exhibition and stampede is still to come. And Ryan McCracken from the Medicine. Hat Exhibition Stampede joins us today. Marketing and sponsorship. Sponsorship and marketing I did, I mixed it up, but that's. One way or the other. They're both the same. So yeah. That's that's on your little business card. Yeah. So, we're here to talk about the endless Summer. That's, I think what your, your umbrella is. That's right there for 2025. And, we're about six months out. So how's things going? Good. Yeah, well, thanks for having me, in here today. And congrats on all the success you guys have been having. Yeah, we we just, launched our our ticket sales about an hour ago, so we're we're pretty excited about that. And, with endless summer, we try and pick a theme for each year. Last year it was Spirit Untamed. This year we wanted it to go something than a little bit different. And focus a little bit more on all of the other things that are happening at, the Stampede. So some of the non-Western things, while still incorporating all of that. So we went with endless Summer because we felt it kind of encapsulates, you know, rodeo midway, the free entertainment with, the agility dogs and, you know, having a nice cold drink. Just relaxing in the summer. It kind of has all of that under the same umbrella. Yeah. It is, something that we look forward to every year in Medicine Hat and, I noticed this year. Yeah, you've got the endless Summer poster, but you brought in a bunch of other posters, too, for the events. Is that something you try and different leagues? Always remember the big one that the Stampede always put out. Yeah. So. And the summer we will. We've got, a bunch of the big 16 by 24 posters coming, from Boylan's. And, we have smaller posters for all of our other events. I took over in this role in, about two and a half years ago now, and I, I took over the graphic design, so I started designing, our posters, and I kind of took it upon myself to create sort of a unified branding with all of the the different posters that we had throughout the year. So they they'll have the same font, same sort of similar structure and, style and, create something a little bit more identifiable and something that our communities can be, you know, a little bit more excited and proud of. How many committees do you have? It's in the 30s. 30 committees. Yeah. So you're a lot of volunteers a lot. Yeah. And we all. We always need more. Yeah. You know, we have committees from, you know, the ones that you would expect from, you know, rodeo night show, all the way down to our youth committee, 5050s. You all all sort everything you could think of. We've got a committee for it. And, all of them are volunteer driven. And how do people volunteer if they want to get involved? Well, you can, give us a shout by, calling us at 435271234 or dropping by the Stampede office. We've also got an application form on our website at MT Stamps.com, and, we are going to be hosting, I don't know the exact term where we've decided on for it, but essentially like, a volunteer information night where you can come out there will be representatives from every committee, and you can you can talk to them about, you know, what volunteering with that particular committee would entail, because there will be different roles within every single committee. And, they'll all be a little bit different from committee to committee as well. Okay. Let's look at some of the events that you've got now. You previously announced the nine shows back in December to night shows this year instead of three. Yeah. And, we're really excited about that. It gives us a little bit more to play with in terms of getting a bigger act, in on those two acts as opposed to three. And it allows us to move to two night rodeos. So, in the past, we've had our Thursday rodeo at 5 p.m.. You know, reaching a little bit farther back, I'm sure, you know, we've had it quite a bit earlier than that in the past, too. We've had it as an afternoon rodeo. And I mean, obviously, attendance is going to reflect that time when people have to work until 4 or 5, 6:00. So, by pushing that Thursday rodeo back to eight, we're really expecting a much bigger crowd. And that Friday rodeo, not just I mean, it always brings out a huge crowd, but not just that. It brings out a much different atmosphere than an afternoon rodeo or a 5:00 rodeo. It's a lot more, intense, sort of an electric atmosphere. And, we're really looking forward to seeing, what, two night, two night rodeos will bring. And then we've got, you know, Tom Cochrane with Barney Ben Tool to start Stampede on, the Wednesday, Thursday, Friday night rodeos. And then Saturday, we've got the doubleheader with the afternoon rodeo, and then Johnny Reed with Morgan Kleiber in the evening. So it's a it's a great lineup. And, you know, we're really, really excited to to see how well it's received by the city. I am sure is one who sat in the booth behind the, behind the chutes for years, moving it into the evening when the shade, you're in the shade. That's going to be beautiful. Yeah, yeah, that's one of the nicer things, too, about that Friday rodeo. This the Saturday one. And, I mean, it's great to have a matinee rodeo, but it is hot. It gets to be a scorcher. I mean, we were really lucky this past summer. We had a nice kind of overcast. I don't think it. I don't think it really touched 30 for more than an hour or the whole week. And that was after a pretty big heat wave. So it worked out really well for us. But yeah, in in previous years, that Saturday can be a scorcher. Again. Let's start off with the April now, the first event, the big event is the Bronx and Honky Tonks Rodeo. Yeah. So, it's it's back for another year. We're having it on, April 10th to 12 this year. So, a little bit earlier in April and, you know, it's, nothing particularly new there. All the, all the same staples are returning all the same events. We'll have the dance in the dirt after Friday and Saturday's rodeos, which I know a lot of people are a huge fan of. And, we have our VIP patio returning for a third year. That's been really well, this we received in the past. And, you know, tickets for all of that, is on sale now. And, yeah, we're just really looking forward to seeing what sort of talent, we're going to have at that rodeo. It always I think the biggest thing with, our spring rodeo is that, you're right on top of the action. Anywhere that you're sitting, there's no nosebleed in the field house. You know, there's only, like, 12, 1300 seats. And so, I mean, you're you're sitting close enough that you know, you're not going to find another rodeo experience, in Alberta. That's that high caliber and where you can sit that close to the action. What's the phrase they used to use up close and personal? Yeah, yeah. We'll be able to shake hands with the bull, right? Yeah. You might get some dirt in your lap. Well, that's, part of getting down in the dirt. Yeah. Then we move into June with an event that is always, well, attended and always looked forward to. And that is the World Professional chuckwagon races. Yeah. We're thrilled to to be working with the WPC again. And, this year too. Same with last year. We have, the Cypress Farm and Rancho taking place, over in the Cypress Center. So that was a new event that, we got in last year. It's a rental to our facilities, but it works really well in conjunction with chuckwagon. So you can come and make a day of it. You can, you know, spend the afternoon over in the, the cypress farm in Rancho and, and then come evening, you can pop over, to the grandstand and watch, you know, the the world's best chuckwagon races. We always hope that we're going to get good weather for that. But for some reason, that's what Mother Nature. Yeah. I mean, I remember or smoke last year it was smoke fire. Two years ago it was, hail, we got hail. I think it was the Friday night and yeah, that they ran through it. And I remember there was, a couple riders that, you know, took a couple off. They didn't. Yeah, it was pretty big hail. Yeah. I don't know what it is about that week in June though, but I recall when I used to cover rodeo, covering a rodeo in Saint Albert. And it was always about that same time, and they finally just waved the right white flag and just started calling it the Rainmaker Rodeo. I like that. They just took a knee and and went with it. And it was different to watch the the Cowboys in the mud. It is. Yeah, it's definitely a spectacle even that hail was just I mean, if you were there I mean everybody kind of retreated back under the cover of the grandstand, but nobody went inside. Everybody wanted to see them still racing it because it was it was really something. And we'll keep our fingers crossed that we do get good sunny weather. Yeah, obviously. For sure. Of course. We talked about the summer rodeo already, which will be beginning on the 23rd, I believe. Yeah. So, and one other thing to mention about this year's summer rodeo is, we've got a new event in the wild pony races. So our, our, committee chair, Neil Silky has brought that one in this year. He's really thrilled about it. I've yet to see it. So, I'm really looking forward to to seeing what what, what entails, wild pony races. But, yeah, he's really looking forward to it. And, it should be another great addition to to the event. Used to have the old wild horse race, which was, chaos. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Three people, trying to corral a wild Bronco, get some kind of control on it, get a saddle on it and ride over the line. It was hilarious. Yeah, I believe it is something along those lines, but, a smaller scale. Little it. Yeah. Start small. Will work your way back up again. Cars and guitars in August. Yeah. Third year we're having it on our grounds. So we've got the car show tent for, in the morning. Afternoon and with, you know, beer garden run in, and then in the evening, we've got a Jimmy Buffett tribute concert with, band called volcano. And then we have the Half Cats, local band, opening for them as well. So we're really looking forward to that. Jimmy Buffett, comes with a lot of opportunity for theming, the venue and, you know, drinks and on all that sort of stuff. So we're really looking forward to really making an event out of that. And, and I mean, everybody knows at least a couple of Jimmy Buffett songs. So there's a reason for everybody to come out to that one. It's it's a good one in the automobiles classic cars. Yeah. So we work with the, Cypress Road and Custom Car Club, for, for that show. And so, yeah, classic cars, trucks, I mean, you name it, it we on a, a on a good year, we'll have 3 to 400 vehicles on, out, in the grandstand parking area. And they'll be there all day. We've got a pin up show or a pinup contest. Yeah, the bunch of other, contests, games, that sort of stuff. So it's, it's a great, afternoon. An even better evening with, the concert and, we're we're thrilled to be working with the Cyber Rod and Custom Club for that. And then, August the 15th and 16th, the Indian relay racing. I think this was this the second year or third year. This will be the third year. Yeah. So we brought we brought this in in 2024. It is an incredible sport. If you haven't seen it, we really encourage you to come out and see it. So for those who don't know what it's about, you have teams with three horses and one rider, so it's a three lap race, and they switch horses at the end of every lap, so. And they ride bareback and they. Yeah, they leap off on one horse and grab the other and just get on as fast as they can. And so it creates for a pretty riveting experience because, you know, down in the pits, the exchanges can be pretty hectic and no lead is safe when you have to get off of a horse and jump on to the next one with no saddle or stirrups or anything. So, it is a really exciting sport, and we try and make it sort of a cultural experience too. We have, indigenous, cultural dancing and drumming. We have, an indigenous artisan market in the grandstand that runs, alongside the races. And, last year we introduced a teepee village outside where we had bannock making and beading. And so we're always looking to expand on, on, on that side of it. And make it more of, you know, a learning experience as well as, you know, something that you can just come out and enjoy. And for us, even just putting the event on and, and, you know, working with, the organizers and the teams, it's been a learning experience for us, too, because when, when, when we got it, I hadn't heard of the sport. And I think that was a lot of the city. Right. And so that was our bigger obstacle in that, that first year was getting people to know what they were going to be coming out to see. And our attendance numbers just like almost doubled from 2024 to 2025. And I think a big part of that is just the word of mouth of people, you know, having the benefit of knowing what it is and telling their friends and, you know, and we expect it to grow even more this summer. I got to see event. Oh, absolutely. Yeah. I mean, is it is really something the just the the athleticism, the ability to to, you know, move from one horse to the other as fast as they do when they pull off a slick transition, it is really something to see. And when they don't, it's something to see too. So and that'll be August the 15th and 16th. So that's Friday, Saturday. So Saturday, Sunday. Yeah. So the Saturday one, I believe the races start at six and then the Sunday, I believe it's at two. But, all of that information will be on our website at, I mean, stampede.com. And tickets for all of these are on sale now. Every single event. Yeah. All right. I wanted to look at some of the, the events that make up the stampede in July. Those who don't want to miss them because they are an integral part of the show. The all breed horse show usually starts things off. But the middle of July? Yeah, that's a big event for us. And, you know, a lot of people take it very seriously. And so we're always thrilled to be to be putting that event on, and, it's a great way to, to kind of warm up, the, the grandstand and the grounds. And it's a nice thing to have running. Well, while we're, we're setting everything up too. So we always look forward to that. And, it should be a great year for it. And the better living displays. Yeah. Better living visual arts. We've got a lot of, sort of smaller, well, more expo type stuff. The, the, the exhibition side of it for sure. So, you know, better living visual arts, they really we we really try and, promote the local, the local talent that we have here from artistry, whether it's photography, painting, sketching to, you know, rug making, canning, there's all sorts of, of different events and, and and it's great to see just how much the community comes out for, for those particular events. And it's a matter of pride, too. And you get a ribbon when you I don't know if the judges some of this. They do. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. You get your ribbon, a small prize. I, I don't know exactly what it would be for, for thing, but. Yeah, it, people take that seriously, too. And, there's a lot of pride involved. And even just having it displayed, I think there's some pride that's attached with that as well. I can still remember, maybe in a box somewhere. I have ribbon for, my grade six social studies works, right? Oh, yeah. No, I was I remember what that felt like. It was pretty good country in the city. That's another one, too. That, helps explain our agricultural life to people who just think their groceries come from Safeway. Absolutely. This. It's a huge part of our summer fair. We have it right in front of, the south entrance there, in the in the paid parking lot. And we work, you know, with, UFA and safety buzz and, Big marble and a bunch of other local sponsors that we have to to really put together a great show and, a learning experience and interactive learning experience that, you know, people of all ages can really come together and and enjoy and take something away from, whether it's, you know, with sheep shearing or, you know, just just looking at, like, you know, breeding chicks and, all of that, all the stuff that comes with the farm to table experience, we, we try and kind of cover all of it in country, in the city. And the Free State is always something that people enjoy. Yeah. We try and, create a mix of, old favorites with, something a little bit new. I haven't seen the full lineup for, for this summer yet. We typically we'll get that in in about a month or so. But, I mean, the, the regular favorites will be, I'm sure we'll be back. The dogs will be a big part of it. I know everybody always loves coming out to see the dogs, myself included. And last year we had, pig racing. That was the new one that we that we brought in. And that was, a pretty cute, thing that we had it, just out front of the, the office in front of, Pioneer Village there. And, so I'm not sure if that one's coming back this year, but, as soon as I know, the city will know, too. Okay. You also have, the royalty every year. I don't know if we have, any information on that contest yet. Yeah. So, I mean, it's they're gearing up right now, and they're getting out there and meeting with sponsors and hanging up their posters, as well. So they're they they hold royalty boot camp in April. I don't have the date off the top of my head, but it's on our website. And so that's, an opportunity for people who are aspiring to, to take on a rodeo royalty position to come out and see, you know, what the application process entails. What, what it's going to be like in that competition and to work with the current queen and princess, a little bit in, in sort of shaping that path ahead. And then come July, once we have our contestants in place, I believe, I believe the, applications are open through April. And then we have our horsemanship, speech nights, our banquet. And then obviously the crowning, on Friday nights rodeo. Okay. Something else that goes hand in hand with the medicine and exhibition stampede is the rodeo parade on Thursday. Yeah. Always an exciting event. And, I mean, we've had, some changes to it in terms of our route in the past couple of years because of construction going on downtown and all that sort of stuff. But, I mean, we, we really liked the River road, that we used that these past two years. We found a cave, you know, a lot of, like, green space to to sit on and enjoy the parade and sort of a nice spot with, the river in the background to see everything. We we love putting that on. I personally don't always get to see it because we've got, our president's luncheon there, and so we're busy setting up for that. But, I know we're always thrilled to see just how much, the city comes out, how many different groups and businesses, take part in it. Yeah, that's always a big one, because you can see people leaving their chairs out the night before. Oh, yeah. And they have their spot. And there are people who have been watching the parade at the same spot for years and years and years. It's a family tradition. Yeah. And, yeah, it we're, we're not sure what the route is going to be this year, but we hope it, it is as close to the same as it, is always is so that people can keep those same spots. There's one more favorite I have at the medicine that it's mentioned in Stampede, and that starts in May with the farmers market. We haven't talked about that. No. Yeah. So, huge event for us, runs every Saturday from, from May through October. And, I mean, putting aside Stampede week is the only time that it doesn't run, but, green, puts that on, in the Stampede office, and she does a fantastic job with it. And I know we have vendors coming back year after year after year. And so we've got that going through, October and then we have, of course, the Christmas farmers market and then our, with our all time Christmas, we have the fair market there as well. So we, we have some offerings throughout the year. And, it's a, it's a great place to, to come out and, and do some shopping, on the weekend. And also you have the, Pioneer Village, a place where people can wander through and get a feel for yesterday. Yeah, during Stampede Week. It's a great place to go explore. It's where we hold our, kids day events, which is, a children's focused, Friday afternoon, event with, you know, prizes, scavenger hunts, bouncy castles, all that fun stuff. And then during the year, once they last year, we introduce something, called Big Marble Community Classroom learning. So we have schools from around the city, and they'll come out and spend a couple of days in Pioneer Village, essentially learning what life was like back then in a hands on experience. So we have, a committee that will host teachers for a night who will come in and learn essentially how to teach in each building. And then the teachers will bring their students in, and the teachers are able to conduct the lessons themselves. In Pioneer Village. It's been really well received. It's great to see hundreds of kids exploring that place, you know, during the week, and it, it'll be kicking back off here in May. And we're really looking forward to, to, to get back, getting kids back in those buildings. Never a dull moment at the exhibition and stamp, you. Know, we are more than just, the one week event. That's sure. We've we've always got something cooking. And, I mean, this is our quietest time, and we're still pretty busy right now, so. I'm glad you were able to make time for a visit to the porch. Well, I super appreciate you guys having me. And, I guess the other one that we haven't mentioned, would be our our Monday kickoff, summer jam. Oh, summer. Yes. Right. So we're always thrilled about this. So we just released our our lineup. I know one of the, well, somewhat new. We've got, dueling pianos with Jarrod Brake and Tyler Bessette Mahoney. He's going to be hosting for their 13th year pre-show with their accounts. I don't want to try and rattle off all the bands right now, because I know I'll forget one, but, that's available on our Facebook and on our tickets website. So, all that good stuff. It's a huge, showcase for local music in this community. People always come out to support it. We're we're thrilled to put it on. Morgan. Oliver's not going to be playing it this year, but we have a good reason for it. So she'll be playing Saturday night, to welcome Johnny Reed. So, it's going to be a fantastic week. Well, we're looking forward to it. Ryan, thank you for stopping by. Thanks for having me.