by : Kerri Demski

Calgary is an exciting city and more so than usual at this time of year. The first two weeks of July are taken up by the famous Calgary Stampede. This is an amazing time to be in Calgary and the amount of things to do is astounding. The Stampede is something that all residents look forward to as Calgary becomes a world-stage and welcomes hundreds of thousands of people and musical acts from around the world. These festivities showcase a rodeo every day, followed by the "Half Mile Of Hell" chuck wagon races and a fantastic stage show in the evenings. This is in addition to the western music concerts and free pancake breakfasts that happen on a daily basis. The Stampede is a family event that shows off some of the stronger assets of Calgary. It demonstrates the ability of the city to undertake large events and to do successfully on a long-term basis. The Stampede also draws major musical acts and this year is no exception. The festivities kick off with Bon Jovi and on following nights Gretchen Wilson, Big & Rich, Reba and finally The Tragically Hip. Aside from the main stage there are numerous other venues featuring acts such as Finger 11, Good Charlotte, Jann Arden, Merqury; A Tribute To Queen,and Trooper.

The Stampede is kind of like a yearly ambassador for the city of Calgary. Visitors get the opportunity to see Calgary operate under some fairly stressful conditions and the city always seems to handle the Stampede crowds and organization in stride. The ability to handle the crowds and the problems that typically arise when there are large numbers of people in one place speaks highly of the organizational ability and cohesion of the city. Living in a city where things are this organized simply means a more relaxed and stress-free style of life for residents. Calgary has repeatedly proven itself a fantastic place to live and currently home values in Calgary are on the rise. The expanding residential core and the growing business sector both have played major roles in this fact and Calgary looks to have a bright and lucrative future in store.