Strathmore Stampede 2021 a go

By Sean Feagan, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Strathmore and area residents can dig out their cowboy boots and hats, as plans are underway for a full Strathmore Stampede this year.

The event will be held July 30 to Aug 2 at the Strathmore ag grounds.

At first the Strathmore and District Agricultural Society was planning a smaller event, based on ongoing health restrictions, explained Ryan Schmidt, the ag society’s CEO and general manager. But that changed when Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, provided a letter to rodeo organizers communicating restrictions on attendance should be lifted by the end of July.

“That allowed us to shift from thinking how small of an event we could do, to planning for the best-case scenario, and adjusting that if needed,” said Schmidt. “We recognize that if things change on the COVID front, we will need to adjust, but we’re planning for everything we normally have.”

The ag society is planning an eventful Strathmore Stampede at maximum capacity, including grandstands, chuckwagon racing, professional rodeo, running with the bulls, trade shows, midway and fairgrounds. In this scenario, there would be 5,000 attendees per event, for around 40,000 total, throughout the long weekend. Schmidt also hinted the ag society is planning some “entertainment surprises” to be announced later.

The news brings relief to the organization, which had to cancel last year’s Strathmore Stampede. This resulted in around 50 per cent revenue declines for the organization, staff cuts, and reduced operations and maintenance spending. Government programs, like the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, allowed some staff to be retained, but it was still a struggle, said Schmidt.

“We had layoffs (and) we had budget crunches, and cancelling events was a lot of work,” he said.

But it is also positive news for Strathmore’s local economy, to which the event contributes about $4 million per year.

It is likely some public health measures will still be in place, even if the ag society can now sell as many tickets as they want, explained Schmidt. While it is not yet clear what those measures will be, they could include mandatory masking or requiring spacing of seats (which would reduce capacity).

Tickets are being sold with all scenarios in mind. If the event is cancelled because of COVID-19, every ticket will be fully refunded. If occupancy is reduced, then the first tickets sold would be those honoured and the rest would be refunded, he explained.

The ag society is also communicating with all contractors, should events be smaller or different. “Everybody has to be on the same page that we might need to be able to adjust together,” he said.

Tickets for the 2021 Strathmore Stampede will go on sale on May 1 at strathmorestampede.com. All season ticket holders will be called to renew their seats.