MY SUNDAY DOWN AT STAMPEDE PARK
One of the displays that very few people know about is in the Agricultural area and involves several of the Guilds from the Calgary area. There is a heritage cabin that is a Summer Kitchen, and volunteers demonstrate various crafts for the ten days of Stampede. This past weekend, the ladies from the Calgary Guild of Needle and Fibre Arts were demonstrating knitting, spinning, doll making and stitching.

Donna decided that her crocs were not time period appropriate and ditched her shoes to spin barefoot. The 29 degree temps. might have had something to do with it as well. We refrained from making comments about being barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen but it was tempting.
This is an activity I sign up for every year. I believe it is the best way to see the Stampede. We spent a wonderful day knitting and visiting and chatted with some really interesting people who ventured into the cabin to see what it was all about. Further entertainment was provided by the sheep being sheered and cattle being milked across the road. The high temperatures were lessened by a nice breeze and I can now see the end of my Sockapalooza 4 socks. (Catching the Stampede Express bus and finding out that it only took 30 minutes to get from the far north end of the city to the grounds was a definite plus. It would have taken me double that time to drive down and try and find a parking spot, plus a great deal of aggravation)

Before I caught my bus home, I wandered over to the Creative living display in the Roundup center. (D#2 had taken pictures earlier in the week of my shawl, but the computer wouldn't let me rotate the pictures. I thought you might like to see them without having to kink your neck)

The ABC blanket won 3rd in it's category. After Tuesday, Carson can finally have his blanket!
My Hanging Garden Vine shawl won a second place ribbon. (Crappy picture but that's what happens when I take pictures through the glass) This was a last minute entry since I didn't finish the stole that I had planned to enter. I really should start now for next years competition rather than leaving it until May.

Caution - Rant Ahead

One of the highlights of the Stampede for me is going down to see the Creative Living Display. The display was much smaller this year and while the quality of the articles submitted for display is wonderful, I would like to see more entries submitted. The Committee reduced the number of entries per person to only two. The categories were also changed- a christening gown would be in the same category as an adult sweater because they were lace items. The Seniors Division was eliminated as was the Nursing Home Division. These changes were implemented to increase the quality of the entries. What it did was reduce the number of entries as many people showed their anger by not putting in anything. Without us showing our support for the Creative Living Display, I fear that it will disappear like it has in Edmonton, Vancouver and Toronto. This is a part of our annual exhibition that needs to be kept.

The Creative Living Committee is a very hard working group of individuals who get very little recognition for the work they do. They spend hours throughout the year organising things for the display. From the time the entries come in at the end of June to when the are finally picked up after Stampede, the ladies on the committee are there: assisting the judges, putting up the displays, washing the fingerprints off the glass, answering questions, taking down the displays and finally returning all the entries. (One year I assisted in returning the entries and wore my pedometer. I calculated that I walked over nine miles. ) They are not the people who make the final decisions.

The Creative Arts and Craft Committee is under the Western Lifestyles Show Committee who are the people who believe that in 2007 there is no interest in Arts and Crafts.

I disagree. Many people pay their gate admission every year and the only activity they take part in is viewing the displays. To shrink the Creative Living display or to eliminate it would be a great loss to the Stampede. We don't need a Cowboy Theme park that ignores the history and heritage that was the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede.

So, what can we do? Glad you asked! Write a letter. If you saw the display and were disappointed, tell someone. Even though it is 2007, an email or a phone call won't have the same effect as a good old fashioned letter and after all, we are trying to keep something that is old fashioned but still very valuable.

Plan for next year. Knit a sweater. Stitch a picture. Bead a necklace. AND ENTER IT INTO THE STAMPEDE! Don't worry about winning a ribbon. The thrill of going down the the World Famous Calgary Stampede and seeing your article on Display in the Roundup Centre is worthy of a great big Yaahoo. You might win a ribbon and that is even better. If we don't enter, the powers that be can only believe that there is no interest. The best way to prove them wrong is by entering.

Rant over - for now