NEWS FILE PHOTO
Performers rock the Stampede stage as guests enjoy the live music from the aging grandstand during a performance during the 2021 Summer Jam.
bmiller@medicinehatnews.com
The aging wooden-seats of the North Grandstand at the Stampede once again welcomed thousands to 2025 Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede’s Pro Summer Rodeo, Night Shows and events such as the Cowboy Clash.
Age has taken its toll on the large structure that seats more than 2,000 people, as talks continue between the city and Stampede to replace the structure that required the installation of seven large steel pillars last year to support the roof and reinforce the foundation to make it structurally safe for use.
The Stampede approached the city in 2021 about the need to tear down and replace the North Grandstand, which has been in use since 1966.
In 2023 the request was made public when MHES asked council to support a funding formula model that included support from the province, municipality and ag society, and included grants and no-interest loans.
The expected costs of the upgrades, as well as a new meeting space and commercial kitchen, could cost as much as $40 million.
In May, council approved design funding for the grandstand replacement and expansion, which was proposed as a third option that includes a smaller design envelope, and would potentially cut the project costs in half, closer to $20 million.
This would mean the city would cover about $10 million.
Council also approved $250,000 in costs to design the project.
The Stampede board will also need to raise $2 million for the project while the province would cover the remaining balance, or approximately 40 per cent.
The offer aligns with general discussion last fall at council, when the four-year-old proposal was last discussed.
Stampede officials say they are under the deadline and are looking for a final decision as they hope to tear down and replace the grandstand for next year’s edition of the Stampede.
During a press conference held in Brooks on Friday afternoon, Prime Danielle Smith said the province is willing to come to the drawing board once a final agreement on the design has been made between MHES and the city.
“We tend to like for the municipalities and the proponent to come through with an agreement on the design, and then we come in as the last partner to be able to bridge the gap,” said Smith. “They haven’t succeeded in being able to come to an agreement with Medicine Hat on what that design should be, but as soon as they do, we’d be happy to re-engage in that conversation.”
As voters in Medicine Hat and across the province hit the polls this fall, Smith said the project needs a city councillor to “champion” the project.
“That is what I encourage them to do, is find a champion on council who can get them to an agreement on what that proposal might look like and then we can get a better idea of what the cost might be and what our share would be.”
Replacing the North Grandstand is part of larger modernizations and expansion projects planned by the MHES that will still require funding.
