07/07/2026
Well… we made it.
The past few days have been so hectic. What started out as promising, drying conditions, turned into something much worse. We got even more rain, the ground was dangerous, and we had nothing left to do but call everyone to let them know it was cancelled. After a day spent in the arena on Thursday trying everything to be able to host our rodeo, we had absolutely no hope. Our last attempt was a call to Ace Environmental Services who jumped on board right away to make a plan of action.
They worked incredibly hard to try and get things ready, but after enough machinery got stuck in the arena, we were left with two options— strip the mud out and replace it with sand, or cancel the rodeo. Replacing the ground was no easy task, as it needed 10+ semi-loads of sand in less than a day. Thankfully, Kerrobert Sand & Gravel had the material nearby, and Ace Environmental Services went to work, for which we will forever be grateful.
While it was disappointing that our Friday night jackpots were cancelled, it was a blessing to have a rodeo that never should have happened. Both our slack and performance ran as smoothly as the years prior, if not better. It was so amazing to see our contestants able to do what they love in the many events that they competed/performed in.
Saturday night brought a scary storm but we are grateful that it waited until after all of our events, and made the ground perfect for Sunday. Our tents were gone, but it was special to see our stands and b**r gardens still full despite the circumstances.
To Ace Environmental Services: As a contestant myself, this is my favourite weekend of the summer. Because of you, I, along with the various contestants and spectators, didn’t have to miss out on it. Thank you, for everything you have done for us.
We have so many more people to thank. Thank you to everyone who volunteered this weekend — volunteering was no easy task because we asked a lot of you, but we couldn’t have done this without you.
Thank you to our sponsors who make our world spin around every single year. Your contributions are the reason why this rodeo is such a success, and ‘thank you’ will never be enough.
Thank you to the contestants who persevered and came despite not knowing the conditions until the last minute. Thank you for all the kind words — seeing you all here, hearing what you had to say, and witnessing you do what you love made it all worth it. Thank you to all of you who lended a hand this weekend.
Thank you to our personnel. Because of you, everything ran so smoothly. I think we have a pretty awesome rodeo, and without you, it wouldn’t be half of what it is. We have been talking about how we had the best personnel this year — our secretary, timers, pick up men, stock contractor, help in the back, and our bullfighters. And an extra thank you to one specific person whose generosity this weekend made most of us cry (you know who you are).
Thank you to our supportive spectators. Seeing everyone’s excitement is so fulfilling and is what matters on a weekend like this!
Thank you to our vendors who add so much to our rodeo year after year.
Thank you to our wonderful community of people who all came together and had this fantastic event. We did the impossible together.
Thank you to everyone on this committee who never gave up. Words do not express what you have done.
This weekend has reminded us that our rodeo is so much more than the events in the arena — it is about the people who come together to make things happen, spending time with one another, and being connected as a community that enjoy this way of life. We truly should never have been able to have this rodeo, but because of you all, we did.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you all. This rodeo will never be forgotten.
See you all next year. ❤️
📸 Kori McGonigal
