Barrell racing action at the 103rd Falkland Stampede (Image credit: Gone West Photography via Falkland Stampede)

By Liam Verster-Vernon Matters

OVER 11,000 PATRONS

Weather not an issue for 103rd Falkland Stampede

May 24, 2023 | 6:06 AM

FALKLAND, B.C. — The 103rd edition of the Falkland Stampede had a near-record turnout despite some poor weather in the forecast.

“We had a really good turnout this weekend. We lucked out with the weather: Saturday was super sunny, Sunday was a little cloudy but perfect weather for watching a rodeo, and then Monday, we were really lucky as rain started before, stopped for the rodeo performance,” Rodeo Manager Melissa Seaman told Vernon Matters.

“We had over 11,000 people here over the weekend so we were really happy for the turnout.”

The Falkland Stampede ran from Saturday, May 20, to Monday, May 22, and Seaman added over 5,000 people came out for the show Sunday.

She also noted both dances Saturday and Sunday evenings completely sold out.

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While the turnout was high, Seaman told Vernon Matters she doesn’t think this year’s rodeo surpassed the number of patrons who came out for the 102nd edition in 2022, though the organizers did not have a confirmed total for that year as they weren’t actively counting people who came through the gates.

“I still think last year was a little bit busier. We thought we saw probably about 12,000 last year,” Seaman stated.

“But of course that was post-COVID, everyone was really excited.”

The organizers anticipated a large turnout this year following the response in 2022, and added seating and parking to accomodate the crowds.

“We added more bleachers to our hillside, which was a big help with the large crowds. The hillside was packed with people, you couldn’t find a blade of grass on Sunday,” Seaman said.

“We added more parking which I think really helped. I think the traffic was better controlled this year.”

As for the rodeo events, Seaman said the only issues during the whole weekend occurred when two bareback riders got hung up on their horses Sunday, but ground crews were able to quickly handle the situation and avoid any injuries to the riders or the horses.

“There was no injuries all weekend which is pretty rare to see at a rodeo but was good,” Seaman said.

She added there were no reported issues with patrons, including any impaired drivers leaving the rodeo and creating a problem on the roads.

Looking ahead to the 104th edition of the Falkland Stampede, Seaman said they will look at adding washroom facilities and opening more gates to accomodate the patrons, and they will also seek some provincial grants over the coming months to build a new grandstand.

Seaman could not provide a figure for how much money was made over the long weekend event, but did say the profits will go to the Falkland Community Association to be invested back into local facilities including the rodeo grounds, the Falkland Community Hall, the youth centre, and the skating rink.

The rodeo is completely organized and run by volunteers, and Seaman stated they did a great job and wanted to thank them for their work.