The celebration that Cochrane Lions Rodeo Chairman Kevin Firkus calls the “biggest event in Cochrane” will be back this Labour Day long weekend, as long as public health measures stay the same or continue to lessen in Alberta.
Firkus said the yearly rodeo’s board has prepared to implement several measures to keep patrons and contestants safe while participating in the event this year. But they are also prepared to cancel the rodeo altogether if restrictions return to a point where hosting the event would not be feasible.
He added the plan to keep everyone safe has generated plenty of discussion among board members surrounding seating capacity, the evening cabaret and hand sanitizing stations.
“Whatever is required by AHS [Alberta Health Services] we will follow those guidelines. In the same token, if the restrictions are too heavy, we are prepared to shut it down as well,” Firkus said.
The Cochrane Lions are very much looking forward to hosting the event, which Firkus said the community missed last year. The rodeo is slated to be held Sept. 4 to 6 at the Cochrane Lions Club Rodeo Grounds. Dubbed, ‘Reboot Your Western Spirit,’ this year, the rodeo is set to be filled with numerous traditional rodeo events, such as bronc riding, roping, barrel racing and bull riding.
“Everybody wants to get out of this [pandemic] and get the communities gathered together and get back to normal,” he said.
In a typical year, Firkus said it would not be ideal to have another rodeo occur in the region on the same weekend. But since this is not a normal year, he, along with the Cochrane Lions and the Rodeo Committee, made the decision to also promote rodeos happening over Labour Day weekend in the surrounding communities of Water Valley, Airdrie and Caroline to aid in rebooting the area’s western spirit.
Patrons will have the opportunity to attend multiple different rodeos in one weekend, with the goal of revitalizing and energizing their communities.
“We’ve got to reboot all the communities and what a simpler way to do it when we already have rodeo committees sitting there, now it’s just organizing it and going forward,” Firkus said. “It’s not like forming a new committee for a new function – everything is already in place.”
The committee overseeing the event in Cochrane was happy to hear the other communities were on board with their plan.
“We are so pleased this is happening,” he said. “And hopefully the whole area’s economy improves. Everybody’s in good spirits. Let’s get the good spirit going back into all the communities.”
Firkus emphasizes that even though plenty of organizing and planning have gone into a contingency plan for the rodeo, ultimately, restrictions will have the final say.
“Health is first for us,” he said. “Yeah, we’d love to have the community celebrations, but if something goes sideways, we aren’t going to be the ones to say, 'we’re going to do it this way,' when we really can’t.”
