The schedule is set and the World Professional Chuckwagon Association (WCPA) will try Father’s Day again for the Richard Cosgrave Memorial Dinosaur Derby.
“Last year the date changed because of the Calgary Stampede,” said Mike Hansen, vice president of the Drumheller Stampede and Ag Society. “Then we were supposed to go back to our original date in July.”
He explains a show in Edmonton that is just coming on will have the July date the Drumheller organizers expected.
Despite the change, Hansen hopes the Dino Derby will still have a strong show of support from chuckwagon fans, and Father’s Day could be a great weekend for a family to take in the races.
The annual Tarp Auction is slated for Tuesday, April 5. The auction starts at 5 p.m. This year it will be hosted by Vold Jones and Vold Auction, according to Hansen, and it will be online. Last year the online system had a few hiccups, but Hansen said they are running another program and will have the telephone back-up.
The format at the Stampede Barn will be similar to last year with snacks and a cash bar, as well as a great opportunity to meet some of the WPCA drivers.
This is the third and final year of the contract the Ag Society inked with the WPCA. Last year saw the 10th anniversary of the Drumheller event, and Hansen said the WPCA is interested in signing longer contracts. He also said that it is getting harder and harder to stage the event. The prize money the society has to come up with for the race has doubled since the event’s inception.
