Cowboy Town Concert a success

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Strathmore Agricultural Society hosted their annual Cowboy Town Concert, June 24, partnering with Heckya and GlobalFest for this year’s event. 

Director of Heckya, Scott Silva, explained the team was very excited regarding the partnership, as well as to launch the Lakewood Fireworks Series announced in May. 

“This series has had its first fireworks go off this (past) Saturday, so it was very exciting … (it was) a great night, Brett Kissel playing, Drew Gregory … as well,” he said. “It is an annual thing that the Ag Society started up, and we are very proud to work with them, especially on the fireworks component. Our job this weekend, (was) adding that little bit of explosive life and value to the show, and also as the finale. We are really excited to have our friends at GlobalFest come out and blow some stuff up.”

The other four events scheduled as components of the partnership this year include one night of the Strathmore Stampede, the Stampede Fright Night, the Celebration of Lights ‘Light up the Night,’ and New Year’s Eve celebrations, each taking place at the Strathmore Agricultural Society grounds. 

Silva described the Cowboy Town Concert as a testament to the cooperation from the Town of Strathmore, the Agricultural Society, Wheatland County and business stakeholders, having been successful in operating the event for the public to enjoy. 

The recent rainfall, he added, was welcomed by event organizers and facilitators, as Silva clarified the additional moisture arriving prior to the show reduced the risk of unexpected fires. 

“Our biggest concern was actually the lack of rain up until now, so now that we are getting the rain, it seems to be helping out, especially with permits and approvals,” he said. “We do work very closely with Strathmore Fire Department and the Ag Society in fire preparedness, also with our fire watchers and volunteers, so we have got a lot of things in play.”

Outside of local participation, the Cowboy Town Concert had also aimed to attract attention and attendance from people across the province to come down and enjoy the show. 

The ultimate goal, said Silva, is to showcase the Town of Strathmore and all of what the local region has to offer from a tourism perspective.

“We definitely want to get it out to our Calgary visitors and anybody down south, or even up north in Alberta,” he said. “The great thing is, we have got an amazing weekend event planned out … with lots of activity and opportunities to explore the town.”