CALGARY – The 101st Calgary Stampede wrapped up on Sunday after 10 days of events that almost didn’t happen, due to a devastating flood that paralyzed the city.
Total attendance for the 2013 Stampede was over 1.1 million – compared to 1.4 million last year during their centennial.
“We’re just extremely proud we put on the show we did,” said Stampede spokeswoman Jennifer Booth.
People were still drying out their homes from the massive overflow of the Bow and Elbow rivers last month when Stampede president Bob Thompson pledged the show would go on “come hell or high water.”
His announcement came only days after water rose so high that the Stampede grounds looked like a giant lake, with the Saddledome flooded up to the eighth row.
Many wondered whether anyone would be able to come, even if the thousands of volunteers could get the grounds dried out and repaired in time.
More than 75,000 Calgarians — along with residents of many communities throughout southern Alberta — had to leave their homes when water from raging rivers rose on June 20.
In the end, a lot of people welcomed a chance to ride the midway, chow down on fried treats and watch the rodeo as a diversion from their troubles.
Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, who was the parade marshal on opening day, said this year’s Stampede showed Calgary’s “strength through adversity.”
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Stampede officials announced on Monday they had already raised over $2.1 million for the Red Cross through sales of their ‘Hell or High Water’ tshirts.
They’ve sold over 150,000 of the shirts so far, and sales will continue until Friday.
Since it was first organized by Wild West performer Guy Weadick and livestock agent H.C. McMullen in 1912 as a cowboy championship, the Calgary Stampede has continued uninterrupted despite two world wars, a Depression and the recent flood.
As in a normal year at the Calgary Stampede, there were some sad moments.
Canadian bullrider Aaron Roy was hurt after being bucked off a bull, sending him to hospital for surgery – and a Canadian Forces skydiver was taken to hospital after a hard landing.
In addition, a chuckwagon horse collapsed and died after a race, and officials were forced to humanely euthanize a steer in the rodeo because of a neck injury it suffered in competition.
In 2012 1,409,371 people passed through the Stampede gates for the centennial.
– With files from The Canadian Press
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