Last call for favourite Agribition watering hole The Swamp
A favourite watering hole for over 40 years of Agribition will soon be no more. The Swamp, tucked under the stands of the old Exhibition Stadium building on Regina's fair grounds, will have its final last call when this year's show ends.
The building is set to be torn down and replaced with a new exhibit hall.
Bob Switzer has been going to The Swamp since it first opened in 1971. He remembers a local service club ran it for many years and then it became associated with beer companies.
"You meet all your old friends," Switzer said of the place. "You haven't seen them in a year [and] talk about some cattle deals, agriculture in general."
The Swamp was the first heated bar at Agribition and, back in the day, it was the only handy place for buyers and sellers at the trade show to get together over a drink.
The space itself is basic. There are metal chairs, plain tables and not much to fuss over. It was appreciated by many because it was the sort of bar where folks could go even if their clothes smelled like they just came from a barn.
Sticky floors
Wade Rempel, from Kyle, Sask., works the rodeo at Agribition and heard The Swamp earned its name because it could get messy.
"I think it's because they never washed the floor," Rempel said. "When it was in its heyday, you come in the next day and — holy smokes — your boots would stick to the floor. The maintenance wasn't that good on it. The health regulations have changed and they keep it a little bit cleaner [now]."
Switzer says the end of The Swamp will be something like the end of an era. He recalls stories of cowboys riding in on horseback, brawls and more.
Swamp-lore grows
As time wore on, and the legends grew, The Swamp became one of the places that people at Agribition had to visit, at least once.
For some the place holds extra special meaning.
"I did propose to my wife here," Mike Millar told CBC News. "She didn't think I was serious and just went to get another drink."
Millar recalls one time when a bull was let loose in the bar, one of the crazier moments in Swamp-lore.
"[One time] there were so many people in here, if one of them fell over you wouldn't even fall down," he said. "A lot of good friendships were made here and I'm sure marriages have been started — or ended — here at The Swamp."
Melanie Davidson said she is looking forward to the new exhibition facility, but fondly remembers The Swamp.
"If only the walls could speak," Davidson said. "It's sad to see it go. It's the end of an era."
Davidson said The Swamp has a familiar feel about it.
"My husband, anytime he comes in here, picks one pillar to stand at and just stands there and stops and talks to everyone," she said. "It's fun because you can just stand on one spot and connect with everyone."
Levi Jackson, who ranches near Sedley, Sask., remembered his first visit to The Swamp in 1973.
"The Swamp is an institution all on its own," Jackson said. "There are people worldwide who have heard about Agribition and one of the things they heard about is The Swamp."
Like others, Jackson noted Regina needs a new exhibition hall but the charm of The Swamp will be missed.
"That's one of the sad things. Nothing stays the same," he said. "It's too bad that this old stadium here that the building isn't sound enough that they would keep it, because it's a great place to show cattle. There's history and there's still The Swamp and it has stories all on its own."
