CSRD approves funding for Falkland Stampede Grounds improvements ahead of rodeo event
FALKLAND, B.C. — It’s not Falkland’s first rodeo, and it sure won’t be its last.
In a news release issued Friday (Jan. 19), the Columbia Shuswap Regional District announced its board of directors unanimously approved funding up to $466,543 for repairs and upgrades to the Falkland Stampede Grounds. The site has hosted the Falkland Stampede for more than 85 years.
“It’s literally the heartbeat to Falkland and the Regional Area,” Dean Trumbley, CSRD Electoral Area D director says. “If some of these things are not corrected, it could potentially shut down the grounds and kill the rodeo.”
Renovations include replacing the fence along Highway 97, updates to the electrical systems and improvements to the grandstand and concession areas. The Falkland and District Community Association (FCDA), which owns and operates the grounds, stated Interior Health expressed serious concern regarding some portions of the grounds being in disrepair.