(submitted photo/CVM Photography)

By Nicole Reis

Stampede 100th Anniversary

Chuckwagon races return to Stampede’s 100th

Jan 21, 2020 | 1:07 PM

The Meadow Lake Stampede Association is bringing back chuckwagon races to this year’s 100^th Stampede anniversary.

Leighton Wood, president of the association said this year’s event will look like a traditional rodeo from the city’s past.

“We’ve signed an agreement with [the] Canadian Professional Chuckwagon Association (CPCA) to come into Meadow Lake. We’ll use [a] portable grandstand in light of not having an affixed one to try for [the] 100^th anniversary of [the] rodeo,” he said. “That seemed to be the consensus of what everyone wanted to see back then, was the rodeo and wagons together. We’re going to try it and see how it works.”

For the last 20 years, the rodeo has been indoors as a result of consistent rainouts. The Lions Club would bring the wagons to town in a separate event in July. Chuckwagon races will now run on the same weekend.

“That’s the way it used to be — outdoors when the rodeo was on July 1. It was a professional rodeo and the CPCA was there as well. That was the tradition, but like I said, we had too many rainouts and conflict of weekends when we were on July 1, right before Calgary Stampede. The wagon drivers wanted to be running at altitude where horses can get their lung capacity up,” Wood said.

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Kim Carey, sponsorship manager with CPCA, told meadowlakeNOW bringing back chuckwagons will fare as good news to the local fan base and wagon drivers, many who are from in and around the Meadow Lake area.

“The Meadow Lake Stampede has been a longstanding stampede for years and chuckwagons have always been a part of that,” she said. “When the stands were condemned, the association wasn’t able to host chuckwagons and we’ve been waiting for a time when the committee could come in and make it happen again.”

Wood said details for the rodeo are being finalized though Stampede week will run from June 4 to 8.

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nicole.reis@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @nicolereis7722