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| - I think the Stampede gets a really bad rep from a lot of Native Calgarians.
Once upon a time, I too had a hate-on for everything Cowboy, I lamented never making it to the Rock Central (Anti) Stampede Breakfast and I did my best to avoid the inner city or be out of town entirely for two weeks of the year. I spent the better part of my teenage and young adult years cynical and anti-country, doling out much of what the negative reviews on this board say. And then one day, after what was getting close to a decade I went back. And I liked it.
There is a secret to my liking the Stampede. I take it with a grain of salt. It is what it is, a giant western-themed party that gives Calgarians an identity and makes Cowtown what it is. Is it particularly authentic? Well, yes and no. The "festival" proper has a lot of really intriguing elements - the giant fun park, the livestock shows and of course the rodeo!
I think people forget that the Stampede is meant to be an exhibition for farming and western culture, and while that doesn't exist legitimately within the city boundaries it is alive and kicking within Alberta. The Stampede IS a big deal for the ranchers and farmers that make up a great deal of rural Alberta, and it is a big deal across the world too. It is partly authentic, just not authentically Calgarian (anymore).
But you know what? I think it's fun to play Cowboy. Everybody who is actually a cowboy already knows it, and everybody else gets to have fun and play to their idea of the "wild west". And that means rides and drunken forays in the beer gardens and catching the rodeo if you can. It means freshly fried corn dogs (freshly fried anything!) and giant turkey drumsticks, and dressing like a cowboy. It means checking out the village with the Tipis and exploring Native culture a little more in depth than you would otherwise get. It means the huge exhibition hall with all the weird stalls selling things you don't really need. It means the smelly stank of the agricultural building that us city folk rarely get to experience.
There are the Grandstand shows which often feature popular bands on the crappy soundstage, where you stand on fences to see. Bonding with your friends on the rides, and melting into the grass because it is so, so hot and you wish you didn't have to pay for water. Hey, nothing's perfect! It's really crowded and a little bit lame, but there is nothing else like it.
The Stampede is a celebration for Calgary, a means for letting loose. It tries to fit into a million different demographics and that doesn't always work. It is expensive, it is one of Calgary's cash cows. It doesn't change that much from year to year - new acts, new clowns, maybe a new ride if you're lucky. It is ridiculous in an utterly awesome way.
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