OLDS — For the second year in a row, Olds will be hosting the Alberta High School Rodeo Finals. This year’s event takes place June 2-5 at the Olds Regional Exhibition (ORE) grounds.
Some contestants will qualify for the 2022 National Rodeo Finals, which will be held in Wyoming.
This year’s edition of the Alberta High School Rodeo Finals will be extra special because organizers and participants will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of high school rodeo in this province.
“There’s going to be over 200 families coming into the community from the 2nd to the 5th,” Gillian Grant of C5 Rodeo told town council.
Grant said the fun begins on June 2 when participants get their batch numbers. During that evening, Brett Gardiner, a rodeo announcer, will serve as the guest speaker.
“He’s going to be talking about mental health for the kids and he’s going to have a huge impact,” she said.
The 50th anniversary will be celebrated via an alumni night on June 3.
“Saturday is the cowboy prom. It is a real prom, so there’s grads coming in with all their dresses at the Cow Palace that Saturday night,” Grant said.
The Alberta finals end on Sunday, June 5.
“It's a great thing for the community, bringing these families in here for over the course of four days," Grant said.
“I’ve talked with the Uptowne Olds people a little bit too, just to give them a bit of a heads-up. We worked with them a little bit last year, tried to drive some business in the community as well.
“It’s the last year it’s going to be happening in Olds, so we just wanted to make sure you guys knew it’s happening.”
Council voted to accept Gillian’s presentation as information.
