July 25, 2019
NEWS PHOTO MO CRANKER
Stephanie and Kameron Bida throw rings alongside Michael Mitchell during the annual Exhibition and Stampede.
jappel@medicinehatnews.com@MHNJeremyAppel
Attendance numbers for the 2019 Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede are in, showing an overall decrease from the past two years.
Paid gate admission was at 42,729 for 2019, compared with 45,906 in 2018 and 44,702 in 2017.
The night shows, which included performances from Creedence Clearwater Revisited, Brett Kissel, the Hunter Brothers, Blackhawk and Restless Heart, had 5,646 attendees this year, a decrease from 5,827 in 2018 and 6,250 in 2017.
The Summer Pro Rodeo’s attendance decreased slightly, but has remained consistently in the 6,300 range over the past few years. It had 6,319 attendees in 2019, compared with 6,390 in 2018 and 6,358 the year before.
Stampede Summer Jam’s numbers have steadily increased from 2017-19, with 1,294 attendees this year, 1,103 in 2018 and 997 in 2017.
Stampede general manager Jim MacArthur says event attendance is at the weather’s mercy.
There were two factors that posed a challenge to Stampede organizers – the heat and wind – which MacArthur says were particularly pronounced in the afternoons.
Temperatures were above 30 degrees for much of the week, while the wind was especially powerful on the Wednesday and Saturday, explained MacArthur.
“If people were at home and deciding whether or not to come out to the grounds, (the weather) may have had an influence on their decision, and I don’t blame them,” he said.
The Stampede’s volunteer risk management committee’s work was “vigilant,” but there’s not much they can do in unfavourable conditions, MacArthur says.
“We can watch it. We just can’t control it,” he said.
