Rodeo and Rural Alberta

Rodeo and Rural Alberta* — June 30, 2023

*Due to scheduling, we’ve had to make changes to the morning tour stops to accommodate the beginning of the rodeo in Ponoka. Should you want to change your tour option due to the change in schedule, please contact the registration committee via email.

This day starts with a tour of the Canadian Professional Rodeo Hall of Fame, lunch a the Calnash Ag event centre, a rodeo and so much more! Learn about the valuable working animals in the competition, the care they receive, and how far the athletes have come in their own training and preparation for their events.

This tour is also your chance to experience some cowboy culture, which survives and thrives. The sport of professional rodeo is growing in North America, in popularity and prize money. With roots back to the original frontier days, competitors who still want to be able to pursue an independent western lifestyle strive to ride, wrestle and rope their way to trophy buckles.

You’ll take in a performance of the Ponoka Stampede, a tradition since 1936. It’s Canada’s largest eight-day Stampede, offering over a million dollars in prize money. Ponoka is a central Alberta town of 7,000 people, but mushrooms to five times its size, becoming of sea of RV’s and campers. Ponoka town representatives will share what it means when the biggest economic boom of the year comes to town.

You will see all of the rodeo competitions, plus hear firsthand from some of those involved in organizing the event, supplying bucking stock, and even competing in the rodeo.

So if you’ve ever wanted to meet a real-life cowboy or cowgirl, get up close to a bucking bull, or even add genuine cowboy boots or hats to your own collection,

this is the tour for you!

Schedule:

10:00 a.m. — Bus loads up and leaves the Pomeroy hotel for Ponoka

11:00 a.m. — Canadian Professional Rodeo Hall of Fame

12 p.m. — Calnash Ag event centre for lunch along with speakers

1:00 p.m. — Rodeo performance

4:30 p.m. — Time to shop or explore rodeo grounds and trade show

5:30 p.m. — Return to Olds for evening dinner with all of the congress