Calgary Stampede: The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth

Calgary, Alberta is home to the Calgary Stampede, a 10-day rodeo and agricultural exhibition held each July that bills itself as “the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.”

The first stampede was held in 1912 and attracted almost 40,000 visitors, far more than anyone expected. Attendance at recent stampedes has topped 1.25 million people.  Stampede organizers suggest anyone who wants to attend reservations well in advance.

The stampede is famous for its chuck-wagon race, reminiscent of the races cowhands would have in celebration at the end of long trail rides.

Other rodeo events include: pro and novice bareback competitions; bull riding; saddle bronco riding; barrel racing; wild pony racing; and several roping events.

Not even nightfall slows down the stampede. When the sun sets, visitors enjoy the nightly Grandstand Show, a pageant that features Canadian performers and changes every year.

Each evening, stages all over Calgary light up with performances from country music stars, comedians, dancers and more.

The Stampede’s midway keeps growing, too, and now features more than 30 adult rides and 20 kids-only rides. Midway guests can test their skill in one of 20 or more games.

If you get hungry, you can find refreshment at one of the dozens of food and beverage vendors on the midway.

Agricultural events have been part of the Stampede since it merged with the Calgary (Agricultural) Exhibition in 1932. Aggie Days is a family-friendly look at how milk gets from cow to table, and wool from sheep to sweater ,plus other fun activities for kids.

One of the stampede’s best-known events is the Caravan Breakfast.  Each morning of the Stampede, a group of dedicated volunteers puts out a free breakfast for Stampede attendees, a tradition dating back more than 80 years.

photo credit: Calgary Reviews via photo pin cc

Toronto: City of the Arts

Toronto, Ontario is an art lover’s dream. The city, the fifth-largest in North America, is home to several major galleries and museums.

The Royal Ontario Museum is the largest in Canada, with more than 40 galleries. The museum displays art works and natural history items and has the largest collection of avian and mammalian skeletons in the world. 

The ROM’s Far East Collection, the largest collection of far eastern artifacts outside of China, is anchored by the Ming Tomb, a complete 17^th-century warrior’s tomb and the only complete Chinese tomb in the West.

The Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art was, at one time, affiliated with ROM. This specialized museum is home to more than 2,000 pieces of ceramic art. Its collection features everything from pre-Columbian pottery to classic European porcelains of the 18th and 19th centuries.

The Art Gallery of Toronto has strong collections of European and Canadian art. One of the main attractions of the gallery is its collection of Henry Moore sculptures, one of the largest in the world. Moore personally designed the exhibit space for this collection in 1974.

For more than 30 years, the Textile Museum of Canada has celebrated international fiber art. The museum’s permanent collection features more than 12,000 textiles, from pieces as much as 2,000 years old to modern designs, with samples from more than 200 regions of the world.

The Bata Shoe Museum is housed in a whimsical, shoebox-shaped building designed by architect Raymond Moriyama. The museum is home to a 4,500-piece, semi-permanent “History of Shoes” exhibit that highlights examples of footwear spanning time and the globe, from ancient Egyptian sandals to the sleekly sexy stilettos of 1990s. The Bata has three additional galleries that display special exhibits throughout the year.

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net