The small village of Rockyford is going to be bustling this weekend as cowboys and rodeo fans come out for the 56th annual Rockyford Rodeo.
    The weekend long rodeo starts on Friday, July 26, and will feature some of the top names in professional rodeo. The weekend will deliver non stop action for any rodeo lover and the entire family.
    Each day is crammed with rodeo action and the events remain largely the same as previous years, featuring steer wrestling, team roping, bareback, barrel racing and more.

A rider hangs on to the steer during his ride at last year’s Rockyford Rodeo. The village is getting ready for the 56th annual rodeo, which starts on Friday, July 26, and lasts all weekend.

    Each day at 6:30 p.m., there will be chuckwagon races as well. There will also be miniature wild horse races on Saturday and Sunday, motorcycle race, a midway, free pancake breakfast, parade, and dance.
    “By the sounds of it, we’re going to have a great weekend. The amount of contestants and sponsorship is way up from last year. I think it’s great for the community and committee involved in organizing the rodeo, because it shows they are doing things right,” said Rockyford Mayor Darcy Burke.
    Though not much else has changed, the grounds will boast a few new features this year.
    “We’ve got a new announcer booth, rodeo office, and a new outdoor beer booth,” said Darcy Koester, a member of the rodeo organizing committee.
    The weekend will also mark the homecoming of a Rockyford native, Niki Flundra (formerly Cammaert) who has made quite a name for herself across North America as a trick rider.
    “She’s a trick rider and from Rockyford originally. She’s done performances all over North America with her horses, so it’ll be like a homecoming for her this weekend,” said Koester.
     The rodeo is one of the largest events in Rockyford,
    “It takes the whole community to put it on and it promotes Rockyford in such a large way,” said Burke. “I think our town triples in size.”
    For tickets or information about the rodeo, call 403-533-3771.
    “In our area, we’re one of the longest running rodeos,” said Koester. “Come over for the parade and free pancake breakfast on Saturday. Then, stay for the day and have some fun.”

    The 20th anniversary season of the Canadian Badlands Passion Play came to a close last weekend.
    Ticket sales, though strong throughout the year, suffered following the Southern Alberta flooding crisis.
    “Ticket sales were well ahead of the previous five year’s average prior to the flooding but the rising waters brought a marked decline in bookings,” said Vance Neudorf, executive director of the Passion Play.
    In the end, roughly 12,500 were in attendance throughout the Passion Play. Though down from the previous two years, attendance for the 20th season was average. In 2011, which saw the 100th performance, attendance was 14,040.
    Critically, the show was well received by those in attendance.
    “Reviews on Trip Advisor revealed the 20th season exceeded all expectations. Changes to the staging and flow of the play greatly enhanced the experience and a common thread to the reviews was amazement that a Passion Play of this magnitude and professionalism has been in operation in Alberta for 20 years and they had just discovered it for themselves. 96% of those responding to our annual survey say they will recommend the Passion Play to their friends,” said Neudorf.
    Despite the flood, Mother Nature was largely kind to the Passion Play.
    The weather was stellar for the run of the show and the Passion Play’ record of having only cancelled two shows due to weather in the past twenty years remained intact. At one point storm clouds approached the 2600 seat amphitheatre but the rain veered to the south and left the audience enjoying the performance in pleasant temperatures along with a gentle breeze,” said Neudorf,
    Now that the show is over for the season, the Passion Play is looking forward to plans to enhance the site further, especially in the new Forum theatre space.
    The Passion Play will return on July 10 next year.

How things have changed. The site of the Passion Play has changed considerably since the opening season in 1994 (left). The 2013 Passion Play, the 20th season, saw a slight dip in attendance this year due to the flooding in Southern Alberta. Roughly 12,500 people attended the show this year.