The Town of Stettler was transformed into carnival along the parade route as the community came out in large numbers braving the rain and chill to cheer and support the revellers on Saturday morning, June 11.
The parade which started at 11 a.m. from the West Stettler Park curved along 47 Ave., 58 St. and 50 Ave. before heading towards Main Street, eventually ending at the rodeo grounds.
There were groups of kids and families around street corners and curbs, with umbrellas, rain jackets and warm clothes to keep out the cold and wet weather as they welcomed the parade-revellers and collected candies from them.
A representation of the diversity in the community, the parade was a colourful congregation of the local businesses, organizations, institutions and charities in the town, along with some from the surrounding areas, besides the Town of Stettler, County of Stettler, the fire department and the police.
"We were very happy with the turnout for the parade particularly with the rainfall Saturday morning that we thought may impact the participants and amount of spectators," said Stacey Benjamin, executive director at the Stettler Regional Board of Trade. "It seemed that a bit of rain wasn't going to keep everyone indoors."
Also a part of the parade were a few courageous men, volunteers raising funds for Association of Communities Against Abuse (ACAA) by taking part in 'Walk a Mile in Her Shoes' as they wore three-inch red heels and walked in them, asking people to donate for the cause.
"This year's event was a resounding success," said stampede chair Al Campbell. "The great thing about the event besides all the different parts that came together were the volunteers and I would especially like to acknowledge Terry Baltimore, who was in charge of the 100 volunteers, all of whom did a fantastic job in making the event happen."
According to Campbell, the rodeo had around 300 contestants and was a three-day event he was proud of.
"My great big salute to the amazing community we have here, event sponsors, local businesses and organizations who support us in pulling this off each year," added Campbell. "Being the eighth year of the stampede, we had a bigger and better midway and food trucks, which was a first."
As part of the stampede there was also a market being held at the Stettler Curling Rink, which seemed to be another attraction for all guests and visitors to town, besides the local community.
"We just wanted to make the market a happy and fun place for all," said Ann Miller, stampede market committee chair. "All the different committee members have worked very hard to build this three-day event that Stettler can be proud of and one in which the community can participate in, but that being said, the market in itself was a lot of fun and has grown in the past two years that we have had it."
Miller added that her team and the organizers look forward to seeing how much it can continue to grow.
"I would also like to say a big thank you to all the vendors who set up their stalls as part of this and brought their wares travelling distances, as well as to all the people who came by to browse, shop and visit with us," said Miller.