|
History
Notes – 25 years: Formed in 1977, Grande Prairie
Stompede was originally called Grande Prairie Western Shows Ltd. First
annual Grande Prairie Chuckwagon was held May 26-29, 1978 in conjunction
with the Grande Prairie Pairamutal Races. May
18, 1978, the Daily Herald-Tribune gave away 21 hats to set the
mood for the event. May
1978, Lauzons gave away a 12” Black and White television to
the person drawn who picked the overall winner chuckwagon stompede May
1978, the Kinsmen raffled off a horse saddle and a 10-speed bike May
19878 Shiner’s raffled off a motor cycle In
1978, Slim Pickens was the official Wagon Master On
May 26, 1978, a chuck reverse posse with 50 riders shouting out
“the chucks are coming” went through downtown May
1978, 43 Chuckwagons ran the first year May
1978, a Family Day program consisted of Scottish and Ukrainian Dancing The
Chili Cook-off started in 1979 and was held for a few years before
disappearing only to reappear in 1993 Kelly
Sutherland won his first and only Stompede Crown in 1979 beating
the late Richard Cosgrave In
1979, Bernie Benson was the first ever Stompede Sue |
|
In
1980, The Texans were back, Joan Pardell was Stompede Sue, who went
on to become Miss Rodeo Canada, Lee Sauder was Stomper of the Year,
Marlene Fitzsimmons Pediatric Pooper Scoopers won the Chili Cook-off
and Daisy was the best in the Wet T-Shirt contest In
1981, a local wagon master was picked, Jonas Weber and David Biltek
won the Stick Horse race Stompede
moved from the City Fair Grounds to Evergreen Park in 1982, which
brought weather that was cold, wet and snowy In
1983, Stomper of the Year was Gord Graydon, Tracy Nahlob was Stompede
Sue and Dave Biltek won another Stick Pony title In
1987, the RCMP Musical Ride was part of the Stompede celebration In
1988, Grande Prairie Stompede turned into a complete rodeo and Chuckwagon
show In
1995, the 1st Annual Stompede Classic Golf Tournament commenced May
29, 1995, St. Peter the Brahma bull escaped from the Crystal Centre
bust out In
1996, the Wagons Show changed to a four day show with reserved sitting
in the grand stand In
1998, the Midway was moved up to the Grand Stand area In 2002, the gate split occurred |
STOMPEDE STARTED IN 1978
The history
of the annual Grande Prairie Stompede has paralleled that of the city
itself. Back in the mid-1970s the city was full of dreamers. Grande Prairie
was just getting rolling during a boom time that would last several years.
Everyone
had big dreams, including the people who put their heads together to come
up with the idea of an annual western bustout almost 30 years ago.
There were businessmen in three- piece suits, cowboys and long-haired
leftovers from the heady hippie days of the late-l960s at that first meeting
in a building near the old fairgrounds by the water towers on the city’s
northeast corner.
It was a
strange mix, but they all had a common goal in mind – putting on
a big-time event to showcase Grande Prairie and Alberta’s chuckwagon
drivers.
The whole idea of the Chuckwagon Stompede, later changed to just Stompede,
started when two people - Dave Biltek and Jim Nelson - arranged a meeting
with world chuckwagon champion driver Kelly Sutherland of Grande Prairie.
Then-mayor Al Romanchuk also attended the initial meeting and the seeds
for Stompede were sown.
Biltek, who
went on to serve several years as a city alderman, as well as Nelson,
a well-known local environmentalist, and Sutherland, who is still racing,
all still live in the area while Romanchuk’s last known location
was in the Edmonton area where he was working for a law firm.
The non-profit company, Grande Prairie Western Shows, was formed and preferred shares of $250 each and voting shares of $25 each were sold. About $25,000 was raised in six weeks - the support was there.
Included
in the company's charter was that profits be turned back into the community
in the form of donations toward recreation. And GPWS has lived up to that
commitment donating, among other things, over $105,000 towards the building
of washrooms at the Lewis Hawkes Pavilion, $25,000 towards the building
of barns at Evergreen Park, $10,000 towards the purchase of chairs for
use at Evergreen Park and funds to help build fencing and the Stompede
Campgrounds.
The first
few years of Stompede - mainly because of high-priced entertainment like
wagonmaster Slim Pickins and Buffy St. Marie, Al Cherney and Wilf Carter
– were not a success financially.
Just as the
city had to in the early-1980s when the bloom came off the boom, Stompede
organizers had to start cutting back beginning with Stompede III. The
entertainment was mainly local (Alberta mostly) and instead of bringing
in a high-priced movie star to be wagon master, it was decided future
wagonmasters would be Peace Country Pioneers.
Trimming
off the fat worked. The Stompede started to show a profit and as a result
GPWS has been able to regularly make sizable donations to improvements
at Evergreen Park. While Stompede I may not have been a financial success,
it was a huge hit with the public. The first Stompede drew 37,000 fans
- a total which has yet to be matched.
According to Kelly Sutherland, the hardest thing about Stompede I was
getting people together - but once that happened the event began to take
shape.
And it has
been taking place very year since because of the hard work and effort
of the many executive members, directors and other volunteers.
"The
success of the Stompede has been because there has been such a good cross-section
of people in the community involved,” Sutherland says. “That's
what really made it successful."
And that good cross-section of people continues to operate the Stompede and they all do it on a volunteer basis, If you spot a Stompede volunteer at the annual show, or anytime during the year, give him or her a smile and a pat on the back for a job well done.