Educational aspects of Stampede just as important as midway: Families

Though it may not be as glamorous as the tents, breakfasts, rides or concerts, for many people, the educational side of the Calgary Stampede is the most important.

Though it may not be as glamorous as the tents, breakfasts, rides or concerts, for many people, the educational side of the Calgary Stampede is the most important. In and around the Nutrien Centre on Stampede grounds, there’s everything from live animals to milking and rope making demos, all to teach visitors about agriculture and farm life. For Sandra Kokot, the agricultural learning aspect of Stampede is her family’s main reason for attending.

“My kids love to see the animals,” Kokot said. “I’d say if this area, the educational section, wasn’t here, we probably wouldn’t come.” Kokot said that living in the city, it’s easy to forget about the ranches and farms nearby without direct access to them.

Events like Stampede and Aggie Days bridge that gap. “It’s great that my kids, and all the kids that don’t get access to ranches, can come down here and see livestock, where their food comes from touch and feel and see the chickens and the piglets and everything,” she said. “It’s really important that kids get to come up close and personal.”

Kokot’s daughter Sarah, has a keen interest in horses, something that Stampede allows her to explore. “The draft horses are very strong and muscular,” she said, speaking about what she’d seen on the grounds. “I love horses so much.”

Just as important as learning, is teaching. Larry Hofer, an egg farmer who has a booth at Stampede, said that having people of all ages come by and learn about chickens and eggs is an experience unique to high-traffic fairs. His job is to educate the public on how birds are housed, treated and fed, among other things, Hofer said.

“(We make it) so consumers know where their food comes from a quality-controlled source,” he told LWC. Out of all the people he talks to a day, Hofer figured that 70 per cent walked away amazed and having learned something new. “I’ve had people ask, ‘Do white chickens lay white eggs and brown lay brown eggs?’

Last year, someone thought all eggs were brown and we were bleaching,” he said. “How do you come up with that?”