Calgary Police Rodeo charity event puts first responders back in the saddle
Police officers, firefighters, paramedics and military members trade in their duty caps for cowboy hats
What do you get when you mix first responders, a game of poker and an angry bull? A good time for a good cause.
On Saturday, the 35th-annual Calgary Police Rodeo will take over the Cochrane Lions Club Rodeo Grounds for a day of rodeo action while raising awareness for the Missing Children's Society of Canada and the John Petropoulos Memorial Fund.
"There's really two reasons we do it," Ward Stene, one of the rodeo directors, told the Calgary Eyeopener.
"One is to raise awareness for our charities … but the second is to give our frontline emergency personnel a weekend to be with their families, to have fun, to just de-stress."
Stene said the rodeo has been a smaller affair in years past.
But since changing venues to the Lions Club Rodeo Grounds last year, the attendance number shave almost doubled with about 3,000 people are expected to attend this year.
"It's huge for us," Stene said. "Our previous numbers were up around the 1,200, 1,500 range … and Cochrane has just been an amazing host to us. So we look forward to our second year there."
Playing chicken with a bull
Stene said the rodeo features all the traditional rodeo events including bronco busting and bull riding. But this rodeo culminates with a round of Bull Poker — a game of poker that turns into a game of chicken against a charging bull.
"But not many people get a chance to play poker because you're busy watching the bull, who is probably lining you up for a shot," said Stene. "So the last person out of their chair is the winner."
Police officers aren't the only first responders vying for some belt buckles. Firefighters, paramedics and even members of the Canadian Armed Forces will participate in the Calgary Police Rodeo.
Stene said the entire day is a family event and it caps off with a barn dance featuring live music.
Not all about the buckles
But the Calgary Police Rodeo isn't all just fun and games.
The event raises awareness for the John Petropoulos Memorial Fund, a charity set up to eliminate workplace fatalities after Const. Petropoulos fell to his death investigating a break and enter complaint in 2000.
The Calgary Police Rodeo also benefits the Missing Children's Society of Canada, a group of former law enforcement professionals who work alongside officers to help locate missing children and providing support to their families.
Tickets for the 35th-annual Calgary Police Rodeo are available at the Cochrane Lions Club Rodeo Grounds on Saturday starting at 10 a.m.
Rodeo admission is $15, and tickets to the barn dance are $10. Both are available for $20. Admission for seniors is only $5, and kids under 12 get in for free.
- MORE CALGARY NEWS | Going camping this weekend? Fire bans cover most of southern Alberta
- MORE CALGARY NEWS | Bowness homeowners who paid to upgrade from gravel cry foul over free paving for holdouts
- With files from the Calgary Eyeopener