Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - July 18, 2015, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A8 A 8 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, SATURDAY, JULY 18, 2015 MORRIS STAMPEDE winnipegfreepress. com Want to check out the Stampede? Here's what you need to know: . 10 a. m. every day: Gates open. Regular admission is $ 25, and kids six and under get in free. Head to the petting zoo and Ag- tivity Ranch. Outdoor concessions don't open until 11 a. m. . 2 p. m. every day: Manitoba's only professional rodeo spurs into gear at the grandstand. Events include bareback, saddle bronc, steer wrestling, bull riding and more, plus the world championship pony chuckwagon and chariot races. . 9 p. m. Saturday: Free cabaret on the saloon stage, featuring Manitoba country singer Quinton Blair. If you're after a faster tempo, Ready Mix DJs Dan Lecho and Colin Shots are taking over the tavern in the curling building. . Noon Sunday: Check out an armwrestling competition hosted by the Manitoba Arm Wrestling Association ( yes, this exists). If you'd rather compete, there's a talent show for people ages 10 to 25. . Noon every day: The midway gets going, hold onto your lunch. PHOTOS BY RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Drivers steer their chariots around the track during a race at the 52nd annual Morris Stampede Friday afternoon. As many as 30,000 people will attend the annual event. Brett Saindon sits with his sister, Shaelyn, as they watch the horse races at the grandstand Friday. They are longtime dedicated fans of the stampede. LEFT: Jeff Neufeld chalks up the finish line just before the races start Friday afternoon. RIGHT: Five- year- old Brady Klassen watches the first of the chariot races. BACK IN THE SADDLE M ORRIS - Brett Saindon can count his birthdays by the stampedes he's attended. The 16- yearold went to his first one just shy of his first birthday, only a few months after his mom moved to the area. He hasn't missed a single one since then. " It's just awesome to come out here every year, and go back to roots, you know?" Saindon said at the stampede on Friday. " It's a family thing, we really get to connect here." Saindon, who lives in Steinbach, attends the Manitoba Stampede and Exhibition every year with his grandparents, mom and two siblings. He said his favourite feature is " definitely the rodeo," where he and his family used to bet against each other with pennies. Manitoba's only professional rodeo, the Manitoba Stampede is back in action for its 52nd year. Held in Morris, the stampede opened its gates Thursday morning and wraps up Sunday night. After a wet start that forced organizers to cancel Thursday's rodeo competitions, events such as chuckwagon races, chariot races and mounted shooting spurred into gear Friday afternoon. Pat Schmitke, president of the Valley Agricultural Society, which runs the stampede, said the rodeo isn't the only draw. " There's something here for everybody," he said. Stampede- goers can head to the midway for rides and attractions, check out the new children's Ag- tivity Ranch with live performers and a petting zoo, or take in some local talent at the stampede's saloon stage, where a free cabaret will be held Saturday night. Manitoba country singer Quinton Blair will perform, among others. Schmitke said the event is looking to attract a younger crowd, hosting an electronic dance party Saturday night in the curling rink. In a town of fewer than 1,800 people, Schmitke said he expects to bring in more than 30,000 for the stampede. Free admission on Thursday and Friday made for a " distinct uptick" in attendance, he said, despite heavy rain Wednesday night that left the racetrack too wet for events on Thursday. Schmitke said he and his team " adapt and evolve" to that kind of adversity. " We do whatever we can because we want the show to go on," he explained. Gary Rempel has been a pickup man at rodeos for 35 years, herding bucking horses or bulls out of the arena when the ride is over or their riders are bucked off. In nearly four decades as a rodeo worker, he said he's broken a couple of legs and been " everywhere," having just worked his 31st Calgary Stampede this year. He said the Morris offering is " as good as any of ' em." " It's a good rodeo, so I like coming," he said. " I'm getting paid for it, but I do enjoy doing it." Among his audience was Blayne Boulbria and his family from Dauphin. Boulbria said they made the four- hour drive to the stampede for the first time. " It's actually been great," he said as horses pounded by. " The kids just love the animals, I love the animals. It's the excitement - something you don't see every day." Boulbria said his family plans to return next year for the whole weekend. Asked what the stampede means to Morris, Schmitke was briefly at a loss for words. " Holy smokes," he said. ". This event is incredibly important for the community and the province." Sitting high in the tall, wooden grandstand among a roaring crowd, Brett said missing the rodeo would be " very depressing," and it's not going to happen if he can help it. " I don't intend to even miss one," he said. "( I) plan to keep coming till I can't come no more." aidan. geary@ freepress. mb. ca Cowboys and cowgirls gather in Morris this weekend for the annual summer event By Aidan Geary A_ 08_ Jul- 18- 15_ FP_ 01. indd A8 7/ 17/ 15 8: 15: 27 PM ;