Stampede 101

I think my fifteen year old self would be horrified to learn that twenty years into the future, I would be getting impatient with my future husband because we were not Stampeding as fast as possible last Friday. I say that because twenty years ago I lived in Edmonton! We were able to hit downtown on the train just as the parade was finishing on Friday. The grounds are a mere four blocks from city hall, but we ended up waiting forty five minutes, then eventually walking, because it was impossible to get on a south bound train.

The recent flooding could not stop the Stampede, and they did an amazing job of throwing resources at the grounds to get it all ship shape. This is a picture I took downtown on June 26th, while dropping off my items for the Western Arts and Crafts Showcase. Most of downtown was closed that week, and it was weirdly still! Calgary is an energetic, busy city, so the new slogan "Be Part of the Energy" is really true. Although I signed up for volunteering, often there were already enough volunteers. Ah well!	Click on any of the pics for a closer look!
	Our first objective was to find lunch! There were hardly any crowds or line ups despite it being the first day. I thought there would be more curiosity seekers. I had a big London Broil sandwich and my husband tried a deep fried Philly cheesesteak. The weather did look threatening after a sunny morning!
The Stampede show band was everywhere to entertain! There is so much to do at the Stampede - it's not just the rodeo or chuckwagons. There's the marketplace, Dream Home, Nashville North...we don't do rides any more, but there are lots of thrills.
	We moseyed over to the Indian Village to get bannock or fry bread - oh, so, so good! The Indian Village is a great place to see traditional dance and music as well as tipis.
The YYC Food Trucks were also there! I had a Murgh Madness from the Naaco truck. They serve up "Indian tacos" literally - Indian food meets convenience food! Unfortunately I didn't care for the Murgh Madness for $8 - the raisins were icy cold and there wasn't enough chutney, so it was just a big blob of chicken on a mini naan.
	Of course, the thing I wanted to see MOST at Stampede was my entries! My card took second place in card making. It's such a thrill! I have been trying for years to place in the top three, and it was definitely my year!