There is no doubt in Adam MacDonald’s mind that the Long Island Lake Rodeo has found a permanent spot in the hearts of riders and their families in the Westlock area.
“I think I can honestly say the Long Island Lake Rodeo is here to stay,” he said.
MacDonald is the activities director of the Long Island Light Horse Association, which is the group that hosted the rodeo at their saddle club grounds north of Long Island Lake on June 11.
The rodeo drew close to 800 people, he said, split between nearly 200 who came out to participate and 600 who came out to take in the show.
The vast majority of those who came out were from the Westlock area, with a few from south of Edmonton, he said. However, there was one person in attendance that made an extremely long journey to watch cowboys and cowgirls strut their stuff.
“I know we had one spectator from England,” MacDonald said. “It was the first rodeo he’d ever been to.”
Compared to the rodeo’s first edition in 2010, MacDonald said there were very few changes. The biggest changes came outside the arena, in the vendors’ area, where a number of sponsors set up booths to hawk their wares.
In terms of competitors, he said many returned from last year, but there were some new ones as well.
As for events, MacDonald said they were pretty much the same as last year, with the differences coming in how many people participated in the different events.
“The one thing that really struck me was we had eight bull riders, which was just phenomenal,” he said.
Being an amateur rodeo, MacDonald said there was a particular focus on giving kids a chance to try the events. With that in mind, there was a mutton busting event, as well as a calf scramble.
“That’s really what these amateur rodeos are about,” he said. “It’s for the kids, giving them a chance to participate at a level that’s good for them, because we don’t all start out as amateurs.”
He added he was impressed with how many kids actually took part in rough stock events like calf riding and junior steer riding. He said those “impressive” numbers tell him that the future of the rodeo lifestyle is bright.
Beyond the arena, there were other activities for the kids to enjoy. There was a face-painting station run by Clara Philibert, as well as a sand pile with poker chips for free food hidden in it.
On the whole, MacDonald said the day ran even better than planned.
“The rodeo flowed so well, it was pretty much all day action,” he said.
“Everybody just really enjoyed themselves. We made a lot of people happy that weekend and it’s just nice to put on a community event like that.”
Plans are already in the works for the 2012 rodeo, MacDonald said.
“We’re looking forward to doing it again next year,” he said.
The next rodeo in the Tri-County Amateur Rodeo series is the High Ridge rodeo scheduled for July 9. For more information, or to register to compete, contact Calvin at 780-674-2274.
