Calgary Stampede kicks off with new energy a year removed from flood-sodden event

The famed Calgary Stampede got underway on Friday with a massive parade that took over city streets in full force. It was a stark difference from last year's more muted event, which was held as Alberta cleaned up from a devastating flood that dampened the celebration and gave a gut check to rodeo lovers and Calgarians alike.

The estimated 250,000 people who showed up for the Calgary Stampede's official kickoff didn't have to danger the elements; they didn't face an internal struggle about the perseverance of mankind. Just a parade that featured more than 4,000 participants, 700 horses and was led by grand marshal William Shatner.

The Stampede, one of Canada's great annual events, was shaken last year by the Alberta flood, which forced the event to be held as a protest against nature. Flood waters were still receding, and thousands of Albertans were still unable to go home, as the event kicked of last July.

The theme became both officially and unofficially "come hell or high water," as organizers spent some $50 million cleaning up venues and relocating events.

At the end of 10-day spectacle, more than one million Albertans and visitors had declared they would give up their Stampede when it was pried out of their cold, dead hands. The number was significantly lower than previous years, but under the circumstances it was declared a success.

Organizers have recently admitted that last year's event almost didn't happen, citing luck and a concerted human effort in pulling it together in time.

This year's stampede doesn't face the same "all or nothing" challenge but the same spirit is evident. Just one event down out of a 10-day schedule, and the reaction has been powerful and bright.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, in attendance for the parade, said he was impressed by how the Stampede grounds had recovered since last year. "The mayor tells me there is still some longer term work to be done but this is a resilient, dynamic, entrepreneurial place," Harper told CBC News on Friday.

An editorial in the Calgary Herald claims this year's event is "like none you've ever attended before."

The list of musical entertainment is extended and includes high-end country talent such as Reba McEntire and Shania Twain, and the construction of a new $15-million riverfront park has been announced as part of the Stampede's future expansion.

Bar owners have also just learned that for the first time they will all be allowed to serve beer and liquor as early as 8 a.m. through the 10-day event, a rarely-allowed leniency last seen during Canada's Olympic hockey run.

The launch of the 2014 Calgary Stampede also comes amid less protest than some previous events. The Vancouver Humane Society, the Stampede's loudest detractors in recent years, is still protesting but has not launched a concerted ad blitz or campaign ahead of the event.

In 2013, the group released a series of ads against calf roping on the first day of the Stampede. In 2011, they demanded royal visitors Prince William and Kate Middleton avoid the spectacle in the lead up to the event.

A spokesman told Yahoo Canada News the group still opposes the Stampede, and will vocally protest any death or injury caused to animals. But the group's response is different every year, and this year they are focused on a social media campaign very evident on its Facebook page.

Not everything has to be a tribute. There is nothing about this Calgary Stampede that needs to stand as homage to what Calgary and the rest of Alberta went through last year. It doesn’t need to be a reminder, a celebration or a repeat.

This year’s Calgary Stampede can be its own thing. And even if it doesn’t mean to be, that is tribute enough to what the province faced and conquered last year.

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