Calgarians saddle up for Stampede festivities as city recovers from water crisis

The show was always going to go on, hell or no water. Now, water crisis or not, the 112th edition of the Calgary Stampede is finally here.

"That's the thing about this city, we know when we need to band together and we step up and do it. That's how we got through this water crisis," Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said Thursday morning at a pancake breakfast.

Still, as the city welcomes the world to its famous festival Friday, it is urging locals and tourists to practise water conservation while it stabilizes and fully restores its water system, which was badly hampered by a rupture to a critical feeder main on June 5.

Restrictions that were implemented because of the incident, including Stage 4 outdoor water restrictions and a fire ban, are still in place. But the Stampede's nightly fireworks are expected to go ahead as they have every year.

"Earlier during this water incident, it was heartening to see that the Calgary Stampede and their CEO, Joel Cowley, found a way to continue the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth in a responsible way," Gondek said during an update on the feeder main Thursday.

She added many of the Stampede's contingency plans, including having water storage tanks, remain in place.

Of course, it isn't the city's first rodeo where water woes have been front and centre during the Stampede.

In 2013, extensive June flooding forced thousands of people from their homes and left the Stampede grounds under water. Yet, the community rallied to host the event under the banner of "Hell or High Water."

"Over a decade ago, we were determining if we would be able to hold the Calgary Stampede after the southern Alberta floods," said Coby Duerr, deputy chief of the Calgary Emergency Management Agency.

"Now, Stampede comes on the tail end of a catastrophic water main break impacting water usage across Calgary."

Regardless of the challenge, Stampede officials say the community has demonstrated time and time again that it has the heart and grit to make things happen.

"For 112 years, we have come together in times of crisis like these last few weeks," said Kerrie Blizard, director of public safety and environment at the Calgary Stampede.

"And just as importantly, we have come together in times of celebration, like the days ahead."

Silver screen star leads the parade

Friday morning's parade will take over the downtown core and kick off the Stampede. Over the years, celebrities and notable names have served as parade marshal and this year is no different.

Alberta actor Owen Crow Shoe will be in the spotlight as he fronts the parade. It's something the movie star has dreamed of all his life.

"I grew up at the Calgary Stampede," he said. "I'm fortunate to have made so many memories and life-long friendships at the Calgary Stampede, and I look forward to making so many more along the parade route this year."

Crow Shoe, a member of the Piikani Nation and Blood Tribe of the Blackfoot Confederacy, started his acting career in the Oscar-nominated film The Revenant as a stunt rider.

His latest big screen performance has him starring alongside 2022 parade marshal Kevin Costner in the movie Horizon: An American Saga.

Of course, with a massive parade winding its way through the downtown, traffic will be disrupted for most of the day.

A number of roads in the inner city will be closed off for the parade route on Friday, some starting at 6 a.m.

Tourism demand softened in June

Tourism officials are expecting the Stampede to again boost local tourism numbers, which flagged a bit in the last month.

While it can't be directly attributed to the water main break, Alisha Reynolds with Tourism Calgary said demand for visiting the city decreased in June.

"Part of that could've been due to the reputational impact around water restrictions that were put in place," she said, adding that everyone was working to return to normal.

"Things are looking really good, folks are feeling optimistic about it and really looking forward to how the next 10 days pan out."

Last year, the Calgary Stampede fell just short of an all-time attendance record when 1,384,632 visitors walked through the gates at Stampede Park. She said numbers should be similar this year.

"It's a citywide event, there are huge plans all across the city. The Stampede Grounds are the epicentre, they're the centre of the action, but there's so much that goes on outside the grounds as well," Reynolds said.

"Demand is picking up once again … and there's a very high level of excitement."

Feasting through community

For many Calgarians, the Stampede means pancake breakfasts.

But for anyone looking to start their day with something a little extra to go with their flapjacks and sausages, there are a number of options that'll take Calgarians' taste buds around the world without leaving the city.

Many of Calgary's culturally diverse communities are putting together a feast for the public. Among them is the Ismaili Muslim community and its long-standing breakfast.

As well as eggs and pancakes, the free breakfast will feature barazi; a dish that's become a signature for the event. It's a traditional East African food made of curried pigeon peas in sauce.

It's the 27th annual iteration of the Ismaili community's Stampede breakfast and they'll be displaying a photo exhibit showcasing the journey that some of the diaspora took when coming to Calgary.

"The idea of pluralism and diversity and bringing people together and understanding each other is a critical component of who we are as a community," said volunteer Salima Kassam.

"The breakfast for us has always been an opportunity to open our doors and build those bridges that are so important to us."

Historically, the event has drawn more than 5,000 visitors and is an opportunity for Calgarians to come together and learn about each other's cultures.

Meanwhile, for visitors to the grounds in need of a snack on the midway, this year's Stampede food menu features a variety of eats, from gator pizza, Mexican street corn ice cream, pickle fry poutine and Oreo cheesecake mini-doughnuts.

Concerts galore

It wouldn't be the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth without the music that often comes along with it. As fans would expect, there's going to be a country craze with staples like the Nashville North stage hosting stars like Johnny Ried and Eric Church.

LISTEN | The Calgary Eyeopener rounds up this year's concerts:

In addition to country twang, other genres will be represented by both local acts and international superstars, think Bryson Tiller, Swedish House Mafia, the Jonas Brothers and even rising afrobeats sensation Ayra Starr taking over the city's music scene during the 10 days.

Conservation measures continue

Amid all the festivities, officials have also been planning for water restrictions.

The Calgary Stampede focused on three main areas while the supply shortage continued for the city over the past month: conserving water, using non-potable water and bringing in potable water from outside Calgary.

Those efforts will continue, said Blizard, adding that public safety will take priority in situations of extreme heat.

She said measures such as misting stations will be in place if the weather meets the extreme heat threshold. Additional water stations and fountains will also be available when the temperature rises.

For western event competition grooming and cleaning the midway, the Calgary Stampede says it will continue to use non-potable water. Potable water was brought in from outside Calgary for attractions and games on the midway.

"The more than a century-old tradition is something that the city has united around annually, celebrating everything that makes our city one of the absolute best in the world," Gondek said.

"And now it's survived two water crises in recent memory."