Three action-packed days have kicked off in Morris with the Manitoba Stampede and Exhibition underway for another year!
Things got underway Thursday evening with a local celebration hosted by the Morris and District Chamber of Commerce. The Morris Fire Department hosted a bud, spud and steak dinner on the stampede grounds followed local business exhibitions and wrapped up with evening stage entertainment.
The fun continues all weekend with activities for the whole family happening from dawn till dusk.
"We have all kinds of fair events going on daily, and we have the chuckwagon racing and the pro rodeo as our main events," explained Tim Lewis, a director with the Valley Ag Society and rodeo director. The Manitoba Stampede and Exhibition is home to the province's only professional rodeo.
As usual, Access Credit Union is hosting the classic pancake breakfast starting at 9 a.m. Friday morning. The morning continues with the fair and gymkhana events.
Thousands of people are expected to pass through the gates this weekend, and Lewis says the event always provides a big economic boom for the community.
"As far as cowboys and what not, we have people coming from across Canada, the U.S. and from Australia," he explained.
The rodeo is on the same circuit as the one held at the Calgary Stampede, and that's another big draw, noted Lewis.
"Just looking at our draw for the cowboys for the upcoming weekend, I did notice that the guy who won the $50,000 in steer wrestling in Calgary is scheduled to be here in Morris. Generally speaking, because we're part of the SMS Tour, which is sort of the elite level of the rodeo circuit in Canada with higher money and higher points for the year-end, a lot of those cowboys come down the trail here to try and make some of that money and those points."
"As far as drawing in people from different areas to watch the shows, they seem to be coming from all over Saskatchewan, Ontario, Manitoba and a few still coming up from the States," added Lewis.
The weekend also includes a petting zoo, a reptile display, schoolwork displays and the ever-popular Gathering of Nations Pow Wow. Sunday morning kicks off with a church service in the grandstands.
"The rodeo has been my thing that I've been a part of over the years and so, that's the thing I look forward to the most," said Lewis.
Click here to find more information about this weekend's Manitoba Stampede and Exhibition.
With files from Daemon Parent