The World Professional Chuckwagon Association (WPCA) is set to return to Balzac’s own Century Downs Racetrack and Casino for its 2022 Pro Tour – the first time the venue will host the tour's finals since the inaugural event there in 2019.
The debut world tour saw 27 of the best drivers in the sport compete in towns and cities across the western provinces, culminating in a five-day finale at Century Downs' 7.5-furlong horseracing track.
According to Karen Franco, guest services and marketing manager at Century Downs, WPCA is a member of the Calgary Stampede's chuckwagon races, which are a premiere event for the annual rodeo and exhibition.
She added the WPCA’s Pro Tour is a huge drawing card for the casino and racetrack.
"At the end of their season, there’s points accumulated, and they come to our facility and compete for five days, winding through to the final event on the Sunday,” she said. “It’s a very exciting week for us. It takes a lot of preparation.”
The World Finals of the WPCA season, hosted by GMC, will be held at Century Downs from Aug 24 to 28.
Franco said in preparation for the world final tour, the racetrack venue will have to be configured to accommodate the chuckwagons and larger audience.
“We’re a racetrack normally, so lots of work and effort goes into that,” she said. “We’re bringing in premium seats for the event and we’ll do a whole infield set up, so it’s really quite a busy time for us to get set up to host them.”
Regarding the 2019 tour, which was held prior to health restrictions implemented during the pandemic, she said it was a success on all counts.
“We had a fantastic event. We had tremendous weather,” she said. “The drivers were thrilled with the hosting, with the track and the races – it was a huge success.”
According to Franco, the entertainment venue wants to ensure the public know that in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, they are open and are looking forward to a successful summer season.
“We’re looking forward to a great summer with our horse racing on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and we’ll be gearing up for the chuckwagon event as well,” she said, adding the venue will also be hosting chuckwagon races throughout the summer months.
“We’re not the Stampede, so tickets [for the Pro Tour] are limited,” she said regarding the venue’s capacity restrictions. “I don’t want people to be disappointed. That’s why we wanted to get the tickets on sale [right away].”
Those interested in purchasing tickets for the event are encouraged to visit showpass.com where they can purchase single-day tickets or five-day passes.
“We’re already starting to sell those tickets, so if folks want to be looking,” she said.
