Limited by COVID, Stampede organizers still planning eventful summer

By KELLEN TANIGUCHI on June 4, 2021.

ktaniguchi@medicinehatnews.com@@kellentaniguchi

Hatters can plan to frequent the Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede grounds this summer as the organization plans to host events throughout the summer – including Stampede week events.

“It’s exciting. There’s been lots of conversation between staff, board members, our committee chairs, just in regard to exactly what it looks like,” said general manager Kara Brake. “We had lots of conversations with Alberta Health Services as well and so the fact we’re able to do some type of events is really exciting because we are looking forward to getting people back to our grounds.”

Brake says they are planning to have their summer rodeo, which would be the same days it typically takes place from July 29-31.

“We’re also going to do our pancake breakfast, our fireworks, our Queen and Princess competition, our horse show. So, a lot of events are still going on,” she said.

However, the annual midway and night show series will not be able to take place. Brake says getting the planned night show performers across the border was getting difficult and the midway provider decided to not do a route this year because so many other fairs had cancelled.

Brake says they are looking to host a stand-alone event in August and are still in conversations about postponing chuckwagon races to August as well. The Stampede grounds is also hosting Canada Day celebrations this year.

“We’re still trying to do other things throughout the summer but they’re all kind of in the background right now,” said Brake. “We’re looking forward to being able to make an announcement hopefully in the near future in regard to what those events will look like.”

People are looking forward to being able to attend events again, but Brake notes some still might not feel completely safe.

“We’re still planning on having safety protocols in place,” she said. “Even if masks are not technically required by the provincial government, if people want to use them, they’re absolutely welcome to do that. We’ll also have sanitization stations throughout the grounds, so we’re trying really hard to make it safe for people to come.”

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