Veteran Stampede volunteers speak to their experiences with the show

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

To paraphrase Strathmore Agricultural Society CEO, Ryan Schmidt, the Strathmore Stampede takes a village to put on and operate — or in this case, a town. 

Every year, hundreds of people come out to volunteer for the event to help bring it all together and put on the best show possible. 

For Belinda Anger, she said this year will be her seventh volunteering for the Strathmore Stampede.

“Our family loves the time, the events are amazing, and the people are pretty welcoming there so it’s kind of like a big family,” said Anger, who operates as parking committee head, a position which she explained sees her in charge of all the parking and camping at the Agricultural Society grounds.

“Throughout the year, I go to meetings. To prepare for the rodeo, I ensure that there’s the right signage and that we have proper safety precautions,” said Anger. “A week before rodeo, I go in and set up the parking lot, and also help set up any other areas where people might need help.”

Anger added that as a volunteer, basically anywhere that you are needed, that’s where you’ll end up lending a hand as the event gets put together and kicks off. 

For Trevor Weal, who said he has been helping out with the Strathmore Stampede for over a decade, it’s the sense of camaraderie that brings him back every year.

“I had some friends that were doing it and they were looking for help. And I was like, ‘you know what, why not? I’d like to help the community out a little bit. This would be a good way to do it,’” said Weal. “I have done many different things. When I started out, I was committee head to the North infield beer gardens. I ran that bar for a number of years, as well as helping out the cabaret on the Saturday night.”

Anger and Weal both advocated that the experience of volunteering is fantastic for kids and families to come out and be a part of.

“The whole family is down there volunteering, and my kids just have a blast every year … my kids just get so excited for it every year that it just keeps me coming back,” said Weal.

Between the two veteran volunteers, they explained the biggest challenges are the weather; be it storms or intense heat; and those who come out who are not very willing to work as part of a team.

“For people who are thinking about volunteering and not sure what they want to do or how much work they want to put in, there are positions available in every aspect where you can be crazy busy and run off your feet for as long as you want to be down there, to just helping out even serving volunteers food for a couple hours and then get some time to yourself to see the behind the scenes part of the Stampede,” said Weal. “I think the biggest thing is that if anybody wants to volunteer but is unsure about, just to reach out to the Ag Society and even ask to talk to some of their volunteers and see what the what the deal is about.”

Volunteers will be on the grounds every day doing the jobs that keep the Stampede running such as running barrels during the Chucks, to ensuring people aren’t on the track when they shouldn’t be, serving drinks at the beer gardens, helping people find their seats, selling 50/50 tickets and much, much more.