Stampede season is in full swing right now, and on my first visit down to the grounds this year, I got to experience it in a bit of a different way!

My friend, and former Katimavik family member, Anna Dell, has spent the last year representing BC as a BC Ambassador. The Ambassador program, from what I could gather, is a business-focused scholarship program open to former municipal ambassadors and royalty. In BC there are about 30 communities with their own representatives, and BC Ambassador is a step up from that. Each summer, 3 new candidates are crowned ambassadors, out of a competition averaging 15 contestants. After Anny served her year as the Williams Lake Stampede Miss Congeniality, she took on the challenge of BC Ambassador, won the title, and here we are nearly a year later!

Anny wanted to visit the Calgary Stampede as former rodeo royalty and as one of her last events as Ambassador. She asked me to escort her, so I went along, taking photos and showing her around.

First, we went to Premier Ed Stelmach’s Pancake Breakfast at McDougall Centre in downtown Calgary. There, Anny was able to meet the Premier, who was quite interested in the program.

On the train, she got quite a bit of attention due to her large, sparkly crown, and banner. Starting at the train station, and throughout the day, she stopped to take photos with all sorts of people, including soldiers, police officers and little girls who were in complete awe of her shiny tiara.

We attended a few events, looked around at all of the kiosks and chatted to a lot of people. At first we tried to track down the Stampede Royalty, but they had such a busy schedule that they seemed impossible to catch! As per Stampede tradition, however, a huge storm blew in, postponing several outdoor events. So, I contacted the Stampede Guest Services, and they put me into contact with the Queen’s and Princesses’ coordinator. Soon, we were watching the Cowboy Up! challenge in their special suite at the Saddledome. They were absolutely lovely ladies.

It was beginning to get late, and we’d been out since 7am, so we left the grounds in the early evening. Anny needed to leave Calgary at 6am the next day to go to a coronation in Quesnel, and we needed some sleep!

But, it was such a good day! It was very nice to spend some time with one of my dearest friends after not seeing each other since Christmas 2008! And the Stampede Guest Services personnel were just so amazing and helpful while we were there. They answered all of our questions very promptly and went the extra mile to ensure we were able to meet with the Queen and Princesses! Thank you!