Fundraiser kick off planned for new rodeo grounds at Flying Dust

Several famous names are lined up for the event, including a number of top athletes on the bill.

Melvin Coleman, from Pierceland, whose first rodeo was in Meadow Lake in the 1950s, was the Canadian Saddle Bronc champion seven times in the 1970s and 1980s, and the All-Around champion five times, according to the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame.

“He’s coming back home,” Villeneuve said. “He [Coleman] currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona. He’s coming back to support this event, and speak to the crowd about what the Meadow Lake Stampede means to him, and how it kick-started his rodeo career to be a champion in not only Canada, but throughout the world.”

Another big draw at the event will be chuckwagon racing champion Buddy Bensmiller, from Dewberry Alberta.

“He’s a former champion chuckwagon driver,” Villeneuve said. “The Bensmiller family is very well known throughout the rodeo and chuckwagon world. Buddy Bensmiller had many races here in Meadow Lake as an outrider when he was a teenager, and as a young driver in his 20s and 30s.”

He drove chuckwagons for many years, and one of his regular stops was here in Meadow Lake.

“He [Bensmiller] too is a champion in his own right,” Villeneuve added. “He has won the Calgary Stampede several times. He has been the world chuckwagon champion driver several times, and [performed at] many shows, probably including North Battleford, Big River, Pierceland when they had chuckwagons, Spiritwood [when it had chucks], and several others.”

Villeneuve added “it will be interesting to hear his Bensmiller’s story, and have him share his memories of the Meadow Lake Stampede and how it impacted his life.”

Five other special guests in the line-up for the fundraising evening event will also share their own stories of the Meadow Lake Stampede.

“We are anticipating about 500 people [attending],” Villeneuve said. “Tickets will only be available in advance.”

Tickets are available in person at the Meadow Lake Stockyards and at Flying Dust First Nation Administration Office. More details are available on the Meadow Lake Stampede Facebook Page.

The Meadow Lake Stampede rodeo and Professional Bull Riding event is being held all outdoors at the Meadow Lake Stampede Grounds, June 5 to 11, for 2023.

In prior years, the rodeo was held indoors, up until the Meadow Lake and District Arena was destroyed in a fire in June of 2021. The pandemic also put a temporary pause on the rodeo festivities in recent years.

Plans are for the Meadow Lake Stampede rodeo and bull riding event to be held at the new rodeo grounds on Flying Dust First Nation when it is developed in the future.

Villeneuve said a site has been selected for the new rodeo grounds.

“Leadership here on Flying Dust First Nation has designated a spot, east of Meadow Lake, on Flying Dust First Nation property adjacent to Highway 55,” he said. “It’s just a few miles from Meadow Lake. It’s two miles east of the city limits. So, it’s basically in Meadow Lake, but on Flying Dust First Nation lands.”

The initiative to create the new rodeo grounds is still in its preliminary stages at this point. Estimated costs to build the new rodeo grounds are still being determined.

“We have drawings started already. What this fundraiser will do is it will kick start [fundraising efforts], so we can get our initial costs out of the way – with drawings and plans, and infrastructure plans,” Villeneuve said.

Once the fundraiser supper event is over and the 2023 stampede has wrapped up for the week, then organizers will sit down and assess what needs to be done next in planning for the new rodeo grounds.

“There is some ground-work already started. It’s unofficial ground-work because we haven’t completed our planning yet. But that’s coming for sure,” Villeneuve said.

He noted the stampede and rodeo has “outgrown” the current outdoor Meadow Lake Stampede Grounds facility, so there was a need to find a new site for the event.

Over the last few years, a new stampede grounds committee has formed, made up of Meadow Lake Stampede Association members, Flying Dust members, and the City of Meadow Lake and the RM of Meadow Lake members, Villeneuve said.

“They have been working towards finding property [for the new stampede grounds],” he added. “We were unable to find suitable property for a suitable price. So earlier this year Flying Dust First Nation offered some [of their] land. That’s why we’re going ahead now.”

The size of the property Flying Dust has available for the new stampede grounds is about 100 acres.

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @meadowlakenow

by Angela Brown

Fundraiser kick off planned for new rodeo grounds at Flying Dust

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