Kids Stampede Activites

[killer_carlson]

I was able to get a couple days off and grabbed my 4 year old and 3 year old (both girls) and raced down to Calgary. I am leaving on Friday night.

I don't want to take them to the Stampede Grounds per se, but both of them are obsessed with horses, cowboys and cowgirls.

Any suggestions for where I can take them today or tomorrow? Pancake breakfasts, meet the chuckwagon driver or stampede princess etc

If anyone has some info off hand, it would be extremely appreciated.

Thanks

[getbak]

You can use the Flapjack Finder to find breakfasts: http://flapjackfinder.com/

Rope Square at the Olympic Plaza is probably a good bet. Shaw GMC has their breakfast tomorrow, and Jason Glass will be there.

The grounds are probably your best bet for being able to see animals up close. There are all the ag displays, plus there's a horse show in the Corral. They're young enough to get in free, so it will only cost your price of admission (although, it could be hellish walking around the grounds with them and they're probably too old to want to ride in a stroller).

[aaronck]

Next year, come down on the first day of Stampede, and head to Spruce Meadows. Lots of animals, and free stuff to see and do, and most of the Yahoos are at the parade or the Stampede grounds.

[Locke]

Have you considered allowing them to run around an arena to be roped by Cowboys for the entertainment of thousands?

Its only considerate of you. Some of us dont have children to rope.

[killer_carlson]

well, I would also find that highly entertaining.

Their mother however, would have me served with papers before I even made it back to Edmonton if I were to do that.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by Locke

Its only considerate of you. Some of us dont have children to rope.

One innocent vowel away from being even more inappropriate.

[GGG]

Get Superdogs tickets my 3.5 year old loved them. When you come in right by the big4 they hand out the tickets for the upcoming shows. This way you don't have to wait in line.

The AG displays are pretty good, you can milk a cow, see chicks and baby pigs.

[killer_carlson]

Although it wasn['t my intention, I did get some last minute seats for the Grandstand Show and chucks. Great seats. We went to the grounds and had a blast. My 4 year old wanted to try a few games and I'll be damned if a dart she recklessly threw towards the carnie didn't stick in the star and she won a penguin toy. After that all she wanted to do was play games.

She loved the chucks - horses are her thing. We had her dressed up pretty good in a cowboy shirt and belt I wore when I was 3, some great boots that my mom found for her, and her hat. She kept getting stopped by people who told her how good she looked, which for any girl - even at 4 years old - really makes them feel great.

THe grandstand show though - wow. It's been a few years since I have been to the show and this year was awesome. I actually quite enjoyed it. My daughter though, it blew her mind. People up in the air, the people on the bikes, the fact that there were kids doing the singing and dancing AND it was in Canada = too much to take. her jaw was on the floor the whole time. She instructed me that each time we (meaning she) saw something amazing we were to clap. If she wasn't clapping the entire time, she was dancing in or on her seat. The flames as part of the fireworks scared her, but in an exciting way as I saw her peeking through her hands. She sang along (really loud) to the music even though she didn't know the words. She loved seeing all the cowboys and cowgirls (meaning basically anyone in a hat and a dress or jeans). It really was a fantastic experience for her. She passed out on the train on the way home. I know I've had a few good stampede days that ended up with me passing out on the train, it might be in the genes. We won another prize on the way home that she is claiming that she won (because it's a huge one) - she slept with it last night.

I had a lot of really good times at the stampede. As a kid it's about the rides and maybe your dad or stepdad can win you a prize. Perhaps a treat or two as well. As a teenager it's about impressing the girls. In university it was about nashville north and trying to keep your eyes on your date instead of the other girls strutting around.

As a parent now though, I can still say that the event was fantastic and was probably the best Daddy-Daughter day I've had since becoming a father. The diversity of the spectacle was great. The integration of the western motif with the opportunity to have the animals so close. The way the city embraces it. The crowds and quality of the show. This will be something that my daughter never forgets.

One final comment - having lived in Edmonton for a while now it seems that the same three companies - PCL, Stantec and Rexall - are the sponsors at every single event. What really impressed me was the enormous corporate participation at the stampede. From the different sponsors at the different events, to seeing businesses embrace it, I can tell you that even fairly affluent cities (like Edmonton) don't see anywhere near this level of participation from a corporate level. This integration into the civic identity and environment is what defines a city, and Calgary should be proud of it. I was damned proud last night to have grown up here.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by killer_carlson

Although it wasn['t my intention, I did get some last minute seats for the Grandstand Show and chucks. Great seats. We went to the grounds and had a blast. My 4 year old wanted to try a few games and I'll be damned if a dart she recklessly threw towards the carnie didn't stick in the star and she won a penguin toy. After that all she wanted to do was play games.

She loved the chucks - horses are her thing. We had her dressed up pretty good in a cowboy shirt and belt I wore when I was 3, some great boots that my mom found for her, and her hat. She kept getting stopped by people who told her how good she looked, which for any girl - even at 4 years old - really makes them feel great.

THe grandstand show though - wow. It's been a few years since I have been to the show and this year was awesome. I actually quite enjoyed it. My daughter though, it blew her mind. People up in the air, the people on the bikes, the fact that there were kids doing the singing and dancing AND it was in Canada = too much to take. her jaw was on the floor the whole time. She instructed me that each time we (meaning she) saw something amazing we were to clap. If she wasn't clapping the entire time, she was dancing in or on her seat. The flames as part of the fireworks scared her, but in an exciting way as I saw her peeking through her hands. She sang along (really loud) to the music even though she didn't know the words. She loved seeing all the cowboys and cowgirls (meaning basically anyone in a hat and a dress or jeans). It really was a fantastic experience for her. She passed out on the train on the way home. I know I've had a few good stampede days that ended up with me passing out on the train, it might be in the genes. We won another prize on the way home that she is claiming that she won (because it's a huge one) - she slept with it last night.

I had a lot of really good times at the stampede. As a kid it's about the rides and maybe your dad or stepdad can win you a prize. Perhaps a treat or two as well. As a teenager it's about impressing the girls. In university it was about nashville north and trying to keep your eyes on your date instead of the other girls strutting around.

As a parent now though, I can still say that the event was fantastic and was probably the best Daddy-Daughter day I've had since becoming a father. The diversity of the spectacle was great. The integration of the western motif with the opportunity to have the animals so close. The way the city embraces it. The crowds and quality of the show. This will be something that my daughter never forgets.

One final comment - having lived in Edmonton for a while now it seems that the same three companies - PCL, Stantec and Rexall - are the sponsors at every single event. What really impressed me was the enormous corporate participation at the stampede. From the different sponsors at the different events, to seeing businesses embrace it, I can tell you that even fairly affluent cities (like Edmonton) don't see anywhere near this level of participation from a corporate level. This integration into the civic identity and environment is what defines a city, and Calgary should be proud of it. I was damned proud last night to have grown up here.

And thats the Stampede in a nutshell right there.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

One innocent vowel away from being even more inappropriate.

Story of my life.