After a three-year hiatus, the Bridge Lake Stampede makes its return this Canada Day.
Organized by the Bridge Lake Community Club the one-day amateur rodeo draws competitors from all over. Club president Jamie Law said the community is looking forward to hosting the 71st annual rodeo.
“It started out as a picnic 71 years ago and it’s kind of evolved over time. We have most of the standard rodeo events bareback, saddle bronc, bull riding, calf roping, team roping, steer riding, breakaway roping and barrel racing,” Law listed. “We do have mini-bare back riding this year with mini horses for the kids.”
This year the rodeo is being held in memory of Ryan Plant, a longtime member of the club who passed away a year and a half ago. Law said Plant was always keen to help out with the rodeo so it seemed fitting to dedicate this one to him.
The rodeo tends to have around 100 rodeo performers compete across all the events and attract thousands of spectators. Many come to camp at the rodeo grounds Friday and Saturday night, which is included in admission.
Like in previous years, the rodeo will kick off with a pancake breakfast at 9:30 a.m. with the rodeo getting underway at noon. He said their main events will be held early in the day and wrap up around 8 p.m.
New this year will be the inclusion of live music after the rodeo. Williams Lake band the Skidmarks will be coming down to play music from 8 p.m. to midnight in the rodeo’s beer gardens with tickets going for $10.
Ticket prices for the rodeo this year are $20 for adults, $10 for school-aged children and $15 for seniors with children under the age of five getting in for free. Law explained that much like everything else, ticket prices have had to rise to cover the cost of running the stampede again next year.
“We’re a non-profit, the club just maintains the ground with any money that we do make,” Law said.
Law and other members of the club will spend the last two weeks of June getting the rodeo grounds ready. He said they had a lot to do after the three-year absence, but thankfully some new volunteers have joined the club to help out.
“Some of our volunteers have been getting older but we were lucky this year because we seemed to have some new people willing to volunteer their time and show interest in it. I’m glad to see that,” Law said. “For me, it’s always been a community event to get everyone together locally and I like to think it still does that.
“Hopefully we get some good weather, we can have a good day and all get together and forget about COVID and just have some fun.”
patrick.davies@100milefreepress.net
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