The 2022 Ponoka Stampede will feature several local performers for the singing of the national anthem at the start of each pro rodeo performance.
Ponoka and area locals taking to the microphone to perform O Canada include Bev Carter Buffalo, Shalaine Stebner, Tammy Tonneson, and Zuri Ayuno.
Carter Buffalo is a a student support worker for the Maskwacis Education School Commission and works part-time for Mobile Mental Health and as a seasonal instructor for Maskwacis Cultural College. She will perform June 27.
Stebner has lived in Ponoka for 15 years now with her family. She’s has been songwriting for the last couple of years and has been a singer her whole life. She will sing the anthem on June 28 and the evening performance on July 3.
With family ties to Ponoka, Wayne Vold, practically rodeo royalty, will perform on July 1. Vold is not only a rodeo legend, but has also led a notable music career.
Tammy Tonneson, who lives in Ponoka County, will be taking to the mic on July 3. She has performed at the Ponoka Stampede and other venues over the years. She works at West Coast Dairies caring for Holstein calves.
A young Ponoka singer, Zuriella “Zuri” Ayuno, 10, has sung at the Ponoka Stampede before and said returning to the Stampede grounds is always something she looks forward to. She has been singing competitively since she was four years old. Ayuno will open the afternoon performance on June 30.
The full lineup of anthem performers can be found on the Ponoka Stampede’s Facebook page.
