The trailers blanketing the town have left and the cowboys and cowgirls moved on to the next rodeo, but that does not mean the Ponoka Stampede is immediately forgotten.
This year the Ponoka Stampede Exhibition Association, its contestants and fans managed to break four previous records.
More than 80,000 attendance tickets were sold for the rodeo performances and the track record was beaten three times during the chuckwagon races, twice in one night.
“I don’t know how we keep breaking these records,” said president Joe Dodds. He feels, as the already world renowned rodeo becomes even more famous, more and more fans attend each year for the wild and talented competitors and first-rate treatment they receive.
“It’s great for the town because the town was full for 10 days,” said Dodds.
Despite a chilly Saturday and Sunday on June 28 and 29, the stands were full each day with eager rodeo fans.
Some of those fans also stayed to take in the two headlining grand stage concerts: Corb Lund and Big and Rich. “The people loved the concerts, they loved the rodeo. Everybody, I think, had a great time,” said Dodds.
Looking back Dodds says there is hardly anything he would change.
At the volunteer supper, July 3, approximately 800 attended and there were another 400 who couldn’t make it. “They’re the heart and soul of the Ponoka Stampede. Like I told them . . .I’m proud to be from Ponoka when I see that,” said Dodds.
Although Stampede has only been over for a week the board of directors is already hard at work for next year’s spectacle. “Ponoka Stampede never sleeps,” said Dodds.