Calgary Stampede

I LOVE the Calgary Stampede. It is this HUGE city-wide event that lasts 10 days, and the entire city gets into cowboy character. The main event is downtown, where there is a rodeo, chuckwagon races, and fairgrounds. It's huge - the largest outdoor rodeo in the world. The biggest names in Country music are sure to perform at the Stampede each year.

But my favorite part about the Stampede is how festive the whole city is. Everyone - including the business people downtown - get dressed up in their cowboy gear all week long. If you work downtown and normally wear a suit to work, you'd be totally out of place Stampede week if you didn't wear jeans and a cowboy shirt, maybe even boots and a cowboy hat. And it doesn't matter if you're a cowboy or not. Everyone gets decked out. All over the city are free Stampede breakfasts - we attended 5 that week!!! - and all sorts of Stampede activities. I worked as an usher at the rodeo when I was 15 for a short summer job, but I haven't been back to Calgary during Stampede week since then. It worked out great that my entire family was in Calgary the week of the Stampede this year. We all went down to the grounds for one of the days:

My wonderful family

My sister, Jen and her husband Jared, and Erin: Riding the C-Train (light rail transit) to go downtown.

Greeting some Stampede guy

Visiting the animals

Can you tell that my Dad is making "moo-ing" noises to get the cow's attention? The things you find yourself doing for kids!

Me and Mike by the Elbow River, which runs through the fairgrounds

Jared helping Erin get a drink. He had to sit there for a while, waiting for her to finish :)

Watching Elaina on the rides

Mike, me, Heather, Jared (Jen's husband)

Love this girl!

Biker Chic

I love this picture of my Mom and Erin

We couldn't pull Erin away from these rubber ducks! She could have stayed there for hours!!

Elaina loved all the rides!

Merry Go Round with Nana

This is how Elaina traveled most of the day!! Life is so easy when you're a kid

Eating popsicles with Uncle Dave

Mike loved his bratwurst for lunch that day

This was the best treat of the day - it was called Potato On a Stick. It was just a long, fried potato twirl -- on a stick. Very cool. Of course you douse it with vinegar and salt. Incase you aren't aware, the only way to eat french fries (according to any true Canadian) is to sprinkle it with vinegar. Restaurants will always bring you a bottle of vinegar if your order french fries with your meal, and all the fast food chains have vinegar packets available next to the ketchup packets. Mmmm, yummy!!

Checking out a bazooka and other military weapons

They were so excited to see all the animals!

The girls with my parents

I think perhaps having grandkids is a good excuse to buy some cotton candy!

Enjoying the chuck wagon races and grandstand show that evening

My beautiful city of Calgary!!!

At the beginning of the chuckwagon races, of course they sang the national anthem, during which a helicopter flew in front of the crowds with a Canadian flag. It was such a privilege to be able to stand and sing my own anthem, especially since I don't get to do it very often. Of course I got goosebumps and a little teary-eyed because I don't get to sing "O Canada" very often.

I'm also excited because I'm in the process of getting Canadian citizenship for Elaina and Erin so they will be Canadian citizens too. Here is one of my proud little Canadians!

Stampede Breakfasts

During Stampede Week, Calgary has free Stampede Breakfasts all over the city, hosted by local communities, or a neighborhood strip mall, downtown businesses, or a huge mall or grocery store. We went to 4 Stampede Breakfasts and 1 Stampede Dinner. It's a fun experience - the live music, dancing, and lots of people getting into the festivities. They are all over the city. Each day you could have your pick of several breakfasts to attend - for breakfast or dinner, although breakfast is the bigger deal. The quality of food varies, and normally I don't think I would stand in line 5 times in one week just for a free breakfast, but it was fun this time :) My favorite part, however, was dressing the girls up in their sparkly cowboy boots. Amazingly, Erin has 3 pair!!! Elaina has 1.

Stampede Dinner #1, the night we arrived:

Elaina with Nanny M and Papa

This is how Erin eats a hot dog.

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Stampede Breakfast #2 at the Community Centre in Braeside, the neighborhood where I grew up:

Krista has been one of my best friends since we met at age 4. We lived 4 houses away from each other from the time we were 4 until I moved away when we were 16. Now we've each got little ones and we seem to just pick up where we left off each time I go home to Calgary

Mom dancing with Erin

Krista two-stepping with Elaina, and my Mom two-stepping with Erin

Krista dancing with Elaina

Checking out the fire truck

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Stampede Breakfast #3: The Dental office where my cousin Andrea works

My cousin Andrea, with the girls.

Isn't she cute? :)

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Stampede Breakfast #4: At a Mall in the city. It was the only Stampede-sponsored breakfast that we went to. They tend to have long lines and huge crowds, but also great activities for kids.

Mom and the girls

Me and my sister Heather

Elaina, waiting for her pancakes

Erin on the pony ride

Elaina on the pony ride. The girls LOVED this!!

Petting zoo, which of course they both loved as well

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Stampede Breakfast #5: The day that we went down to the Stampede grounds my Nana's church sponsored one for the community. Elaina made friends with a couple strangers who taught her how to line dance along with the other adults.

Erin & my Nana at her church's breakfast

Elaina and Erin, line dancing