Calgary Stampede: Mad for Cow

by jordan | July 14, 2007 at 02:13 pm | 234 views | add comment

Calgary, Alberta is currently a really dangerous place for cows. The rodeo-and-barbecue-centric celebration of midwestern Canadiana is well underway, with live music, parades, aggro agriculture, cookoffs, and lots and lots of meat. The parade, going on at the moment, contains everything from Canadian Forces in combat uniform to a solar-powered race car and the Ferret Rescue Education Society. (Color commentary on parades is a fascinating thing- the CTV newscasters are currently discussing ferrets and ferret care) A marching band is bashing out a rendition of AC/DC's Back in Black.

Calgary itself is on display, and not just the Red Mile... and partying may well be mandatory:

One Calgary broker's e-mail bulletin to investors might capture the mood best: "Good morning. Today, Stampede eve, it begins - Remember the mantra/philosophy - Drink Triple, See Double, Think Single - YEEHAW."

Anywhere else, this would be the party of the century. During the Calgary Stampede, which began Friday and runs until Sunday, this is just another workday.

For the 10 days of Stampede, the offices of downtown Calgary fall largely silent as Wrangler-wearing business folk roam from pancake breakfast to liquid lunch, from evening tent party to shooter bar. They trade in neckties for bolo ties, Gucci shoes for cowboy boots and cufflinks for pearl snaps.

But for some, these expressions of civic pride have become more like civic duty. Working past noon is tantamount to treason. Co-workers operate like fashion police, ridiculing anyone without denim.

This year, Stampede comes in the shadow of a ground beef recall that affected Alberta and British Columbia last month.

Stampede's website bills the event as "preserving and promoting Western heritage and values"... Those outside of (and perhaps in) Canada may not know what that means: any Canadians out there, as well as anyone who's attended Stampede either this year or in the past, please share your experiences.

(Disclosure: Jordan does not live, and has actually never visited, Calgary, though he loves to barbecue, and he's cool with ferrets, though has never owned one)