ProRodeo Sports News - June 15, 2018

COWBOY CHRISTMAS PREVIEW

PONOKA STAMPEDE Ponoka,Alberta June 26-July 2 ponokastampede.com

president. He has been a part of the Stampede for 30-plus years and his family has deep rodeo roots. His uncle was legendary ProRodeo Hall of Fame stock contractor Harry Vold. Harry Vold, known as the “Duke of the Chutes,” passed away March 13, 2017, at age 93. He was born Jan. 29, 1924, on a ranch just outside Ponoka. Wayne Vold, Harry’s son, is the primary stock contractor for the Ponoka Stampede. Harry Vold’s introduction into the stock contractor business came in 1952. A hoof-and- mouth disease outbreak closed the U.S.-Canadian border, stranding Harry Vold with 20 bucking horses. The bad luck of the closed border turned into good luck for Harry Vold, who bucked the horses for free at Ponoka. The poster for the 2018 Ponoka Stampede features a photo of Harry Vold, an 11-time PRCA

In Ponoka, Alberta, there’s a marquee event every

summer – the Ponoka Stampede.

The event has morphed into the largest PRCA- approved rodeo in the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association. The 2018 edition of the Ponoka Stampede runs from June 26-July 2, making it a must-stop for competitors during ProRodeo’s season-changing, Cowboy Christmas run. The Ponoka Stampede has a rich history. The first year of the Stampede (1936) was a two-day rodeo with a carnival to celebrate July 1 – Canada Day. In its infant stages, the Ponoka Stampede had 3,000 rodeo fans. Now, it has blossomed into one of the sees approximately 700 volunteers donate more than 3,000 hours during the weeklong celebration. In 2012, the Ponoka Stampede was awarded the PRCA Remuda Award, given to the rodeo with the best and most consistent pen of bucking horses. “We’re rolling into the same program we have had before, and this is still the largest rodeo in Canada, $50,000 up an event,” Ponoka Stampede President Blair Vold said. “We also are on the Wrangler ProRodeo Tour, and we are the only Canadian rodeo on the newWrangler Tour. We are very fortunate to be a part of the Tour. Wrangler has been a great sponsor here in Canada for us and with this Tour you get to see the best of North American talent and around-the-world talent here at our rodeo, which is good for the Ponoka Stampede and our fans.” Vold acknowledged there’s a profound sense of pride in putting on this first-class rodeo. “This is a cowboy’s rodeo, that’s what we call it,” Vold said. “We have all the sanctioned events and Chuckwagon racing on top of that. You get the real tradition and heritage of our Alberta Western lifestyle.” The hard work the Ponoka Stampede puts in every year pays dividends. The rodeo gets 80,000 rodeo fans through the gates during the weeklong rodeo. “We get fans who come from all over North America, and we have a lot of Europeans coming to our rodeo right now,” Vold said. “We have a pretty good influx of European families who have emigrated here over the years from Europe, and their families are coming over and enjoying the Western hospitality and our history. The key to our success is: No. 1, it is very affordable, we have free camping and parking; No. 2, we keep the prize money up there for the cowboys; and No. 3, we bring the fans what we call traditional, heritage rodeo. It is the real thing and you’re right there where the action is.” Vold is in his third term as the Ponoka Stampede

top rodeos in the world, with a payout of nearly $500,000. In addition to the rodeo, the event has beer gardens, dances, concerts, parades and a midway. The happenings in and around the Ponoka Stampede are the result of incredible community support through the years. The town of about 7,000

Stock Contractor of the Year. “The poster is in honor of Harry Vold because he’s not only from Ponoka, but he helped start the Ponoka Stampede, and the rest is history,” Blair Vold said.

Saddle bronc rider Zeke Thurston had an 87.75-point ride on Northcott-Macza’s Get Smart to win the four-man showdown at the 2017 Ponoka Stampede. Mike Copeman photo

ProRodeo Sports News 6/15/2018

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