More than 100 police officers from Western Canada, as well as 30 professional bull riders, will be in Airdrie this weekend for a rodeo unlike any other.
The 28th annual Calgary Police Rodeo is set to run at the Airdrie Pro Rodeo Grounds on Aug. 21, in an event that is dubbed “the only police rodeo in Canada.”
Mike Cavilla, police rodeo president, said it’s a fun event but that the real goal is to raise money for the Missing Children’s Society of Canada.
“It’s an organization dedicated to providing an investigative search program to assist police and parents for runaway and abducted kids here in Canada,” he said. “It’s a great cause and we’ve been successful in raising money the last number of years. In the last two years, we’ve been able to raise $15,000 for that cause.”
Cavilla, who began competing at the rodeo in 1999, before joining the board of directors in 2002 and becoming president in 2007, said the level of competition will vary among the officers, but that they are all there for a good time.
“The majority of the guys don’t have a pile of rodeo experience, but they use the opportunity to do their best and there is a lot of competition between the fellas in the police service,” he said. “It’s the only law enforcement rodeo in Canada, quite possibly North America and maybe even the world.”
The rodeo began in 1982 in Bragg Creek, then moved to several locations during the following years before settling on Airdrie for the past 15 years. Cavilla attributes the event’s continued success to a variety of reasons.
“Calgary is a big rodeo town and the province of Alberta always supports rodeo, so that’s the number one thing. Number two is that we always have a lot of public support for the event,” he said. “It’s developed into quite the event and has grown every year. Airdrie has been extremely good to us and we get a lot of support from its residents.”
Rodeo competition, featuring police officers from B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba as well as several from Idaho and Nevada, begins at 1 p.m.
Events will include bareback, saddle bronc, team roping, ladies barrel racing, mutton bustin’, a steer scramble and wild cow milking.
The second annual Johansen Bull Riding Classic, sanctioned by the World Professional Bull Riders, will begin at 6 p.m.
“We have a full contingent of 30 pro bull riders signed up for that event, so it promises to be good,” Cavilla said.
There will also be a number of family-oriented exhibits including a children’s carnival, a petting zoo, clowns and face painting. Beer gardens will be open during the day and a barn dance for the adults, featuring Nashville recording artist Justin Ament, will take place at 9 p.m.
“We’ve really incorporated the family aspect into the rodeo and now there is a little bit of something for everybody,” Cavilla said.
The Calgary Police Rodeo will run Aug. 21 at the Airdrie Pro Rodeo grounds, located eight kilometres east of the city on Highway 567. The grounds open at 8 a.m. with free camping and a pancake breakfast, before rodeo action begins at 1 p.m.
General admission tickets are $15, while those under age 10 will be admitted free.
