Calgary Stampede 2011

[Beerfest]

Originally Posted by troutman

CP Nation - who is at wildhorse tonite? I am the handsome devil in hat and boots.

I was there on monday, had a fun time!

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by peter12

Hating Stampede has become a sort of unfortunate tradition in Calgary these days. I like the street culture that emerges for these 10 days, I like that a lot more Calgarians stay out past 9:00.

What irritates me is that Calgarians only do this for 10 days a year. After Stampede it's just back to business, and the Core dies again.

Personally, I try to enjoy the grounds, but it is incredibly boring unless you're wasted.

Days later

Originally Posted by peter12

You know what? I'm with you. Stampede sucks. The Beltline is ruined by a bunch of suburban-dwelling yokels that come down, party like idiots until 5 in the morning (kicking over newspaper boxes in front of my apartment doesn't really qualify as good fun), and then leave their trash everywhere. Plus, I saw a hooker give a guy a blowjob in a parking lot last night around 8 last night and it broke my eyes forever.

This city could do a lot better than Stampede.

[TSXCman]

Everyone crappin on Nashville North should smarten up.

Your most likely Calgary born and raised, you should know:

-the first weekend doesn't smell like puke
-need to get there by 4 to avoid 3 hour wait
-jump the line constantly till your in

[WhiteTiger]

Originally Posted by TSXCman

-need to get there by 4 to avoid 3 hour wait

In this case, you are just waiting on the inside. Not much going on inside until...10pm or so? That's a long wait (inside or out) for something just about any beer garden can give you.

[Beerfest]

I posted this earlier but on Tuesday night I waited 10-15 minutes in line for Nashville North and got in.

I believe this was between 10:00 - 10:30ish.

[llama64]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

Days later

In Peter12's defence, I live in the Beltline and started out Stampede positive.

5 straight nights of not being able to sleep because bars refuse to obey noise bylaws kinda sours that mood. I shouldn't hear the same crappy country song 4 times in with perfect clarity after 12am. This is with ear plugs in mind you.

I'm also kinda tired of people treating my street as a public cigarette tray/urinal.

I'm looking forward to next week so I can sleep. Next year I'll probably plan vacation to be out of the city during this time. Just the realities of living where I do I suppose - but it gets trying about this deep into the Stampede.

[Yasa]

Originally Posted by llama64

In Peter12's defence, I live in the Beltline and started out Stampede positive.

5 straight nights of not being able to sleep because bars refuse to obey noise bylaws kinda sours that mood. I shouldn't hear the same crappy country song 4 times in with perfect clarity after 12am. This is with ear plugs in mind you.

I'm also kinda tired of people treating my street as a public cigarette tray/urinal.

I'm looking forward to next week so I can sleep. Next year I'll probably plan vacation to be out of the city during this time. Just the realities of living where I do I suppose - but it gets trying about this deep into the Stampede.

How many times have you heard Friends in Low Places by Garth "a decade behind" Brooks?

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by llama64

In Peter12's defence, I live in the Beltline and started out Stampede positive.

5 straight nights of not being able to sleep because bars refuse to obey noise bylaws kinda sours that mood. I shouldn't hear the same crappy country song 4 times in with perfect clarity after 12am. This is with ear plugs in mind you.

I'm also kinda tired of people treating my street as a public cigarette tray/urinal.

I'm looking forward to next week so I can sleep. Next year I'll probably plan vacation to be out of the city during this time. Just the realities of living where I do I suppose - but it gets trying about this deep into the Stampede.

Thankfully the bar near my house has been playing both kinds of music; country, and western.

[rd_aaron]

Originally Posted by Beerfest

I posted this earlier but on Tuesday night I waited 10-15 minutes in line for Nashville North and got in.

I believe this was between 10:00 - 10:30ish.

Monday night we went at 6:30 and walked right in, no line.

[Montagna]

Wildhorse was fun last night. Had the obligatory drunk in cowboy hat try to grind with my girlfriend last night then take offense when I politely pulled her away from him. Got asked if I had a "prolem",then got stared at by him and his buddies while I happily danced the night away. Got to take the good with the bad at the stampede.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Montagna

Wildhorse was fun last night. Had the obligatory drunk in cowboy hat try to grind with my girlfriend last night then take offense when I politely pulled her away from him. Got asked if I had a "prolem",then got stared at by him and his buddies while I happily danced the night away. Got to take the good with the bad at the stampede.

You young kids don't know nothin about Stampedin.

Instead of politely pulling your girlfriend away, you pick up a chair and bash him over the head with it, his buddy will then randomly punch someone in the face.

The Whimpy guy at the bar will smash a whiskey bottle making it into a crude knife that he will wave threateningly.

Meanwhile one of the other girls in the bar will jump on a guy from behind and continually bash him in the head with a pot.

The Piano player will keep playing until a randomly thrown bottle hits him in the head knocking him out, you and the guy you're brawling with will stop punching long enough for one of you to say "Good, I hated that song anyways" Then you'll start punchin each other again.

Meanwhile someone will grab your buddy or side kick or whatever by the shoulder and belt buckle and slide him face down across the bar and then fling him through the front window of the bar.

The priest who slips in from one of the bedrooms upstairs will hold up his bible and start yelling at everyone to settle down..

Then the sheriff will point his gun in the air and fire it, everyone will miraculously freeze in mid punch and stare as the sheriff goes over to the poker table and pull down the sleave of the winning player to reveal an ace of each suite.

Meanwhile the guy that was grabbing your girl, dashes out of the bar with one hand holding his cowboy hat on his head while someobody shoots at his feat tellin him to "dance"

Now thats stampedin'

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Montagna

Wildhorse was fun last night. Had the obligatory drunk in cowboy hat try to grind with my girlfriend last night then take offense when I politely pulled her away from him. Got asked if I had a "prolem",then got stared at by him and his buddies while I happily danced the night away. Got to take the good with the bad at the stampede.

Two other guys had a "prolem" last night too. One guy was thrown down to the ground with a loud crash, his shirt came off, and he was covered with the stinky grime of the Wildhorse floor. He was escorted out (shirtless). The other fella must have been sucker punched, and was left to stand at the bar holding an ice pack to his jaw.

I have to say, the big tent was very "aromatic".

[tete]

Originally Posted by troutman

Two other guys had a "prolem" last night too. One guy was thrown down to the ground with a loud crash, his shirt came off, and he was covered with the stinky grime of the Wildhorse floor. He was escorted out (shirtless). The other fella must have been sucker punched, and was left to stand at the bar holding an ice pack to his jaw.

I have to say, the big tent was very "aromatic".

Sounds entertaining! I was there in the afternoon for a work party, but couldn't handle the noise (yes, I"m old, and also pregnant, so watching everyone else get drunk isn't terribly fun).

[puckluck]

Originally Posted by llama64

In Peter12's defence, I live in the Beltline and started out Stampede positive.

5 straight nights of not being able to sleep because bars refuse to obey noise bylaws kinda sours that mood. I shouldn't hear the same crappy country song 4 times in with perfect clarity after 12am. This is with ear plugs in mind you.

I'm also kinda tired of people treating my street as a public cigarette tray/urinal.

I'm looking forward to next week so I can sleep. Next year I'll probably plan vacation to be out of the city during this time. Just the realities of living where I do I suppose - but it gets trying about this deep into the Stampede.

Just be happy this isn't Vancouver. You might not even have a place to sleep.

[Travis Munroe]

Havent had a chance to check out any of the tents however in passing cowboys and nashville there have been little to no line ups.
Anyone else find it much different than previous years?

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Realtor 1

Havent had a chance to check out any of the tents however in passing cowboys and nashville there have been little to no line ups.
Anyone else find it much different than previous years?

Yup the lines are not nearly as long as in past years.

I think it just has to do with more selection in the downtown core. In the recent past there was really only Nashville North as your country choice downtown.

But now with the new Cowboys Megatent, and Wildhorse there are a few more options downtown.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Spent my annual one day of Stampede week at the actual fair grounds, and enjoyed myself more then usual. Actually did some rides, and have never been much of a ride guy (being down in weight probably adds to it), so enjoyed myself. I like the fun people have around the city during the ten days. It's a good time. It's a big costume party. Some people get way too worked up about the fake Cowboy stuff. Who was the genius from Saskatoon throwing out the "Skyscrapper Cowboy" name last year.. that stuff is hilarious. It's just a big city wide costume party, and we all love those. Going to go easy on the drunken crap tonight and tommorow, I'm getting too old for this crap.

[Rifleman]

Originally Posted by troutman

Two other guys had a "prolem" last night too.

If only there were Asian western bars like in Japan. Then you would clearly see the guy have a "probrem".

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by troutman

I won $140 in the Money Booth!

Originally Posted by troutman

You can't touch the walls - the air is blowing up from the ground. They told me to cup my hands at waist level, and just stuff my pockets with bills that get caught in against your hands. If you lean forward, some bills will stick against your chest and face.

There is $500 in the booth, mostly $5 bill, only one $50. It is too hard to target the $50.

Just got back from the Stampede and I won $150 in the money booth. Used the same technique as troutman and it worked well - right out of the gates a pile of $5s went straight into my hands. If you guys ever do that nudge the $50 bill to in front of your feet before the air starts and it might help you. I managed to grab a $20 just as the air stopped so that was kind of sweet.

[3 Justin 3]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Just got back from the Stampede and I won $150 in the money booth. Used the same technique as troutman and it worked well - right out of the gates a pile of $5s went straight into my hands. If you guys ever do that nudge the $50 bill to in front of your feet before the air starts and it might help you. I managed to grab a $20 just as the air stopped so that was kind of sweet.

How much does this cost to try? I have like $40 total to spend (including entrance fee) so if I could win $100 that'd be sweet.

I'm going to be going in an hour with a couple friends.