The infamous CALGARY STAMPEDE touts itself as the largest outdoor rodeo in N. America...Here you will find an assortments of venues from the grandstand shows, chuckwagon races, rodeo events like bull-dogging etc., big name singers at the "Dome" and a multitude of vendors working their butts off to make a profit on the 10 day venue. This year they upped their % off the top to 25 so NOW you know why food can cost so much at a fair.
Not sure if the link will work as I have not done this before. It is now 12:30 PM Monday Alberta time and we have just got home from Calgary where we helped our friends move one of their mobile concessions up to their next venue at the Red Deer Fair.
We arrived at their Calgary location about 2 am and of course it was a hub bub as all the vendors and amusements units were moving out. Their two concessions were in a major traffic corner and all I was concerned was that our truck did not get hit.
Anyway we got hooked up and drove up to Red Deer. Hubby was fine but there were a couple of times we stopped so Perry could step out and get some air as after a 10 day stint you are totally exhausted. I am going to try and scan a newspaper article about a new product they introduced to the Stampede. It had been seen at a Texas venue and the "powers that be" were pleased that Perry brought it to the Stampede.
ALL I know is I am SO THANKFUL we are out of that business!!! But to see a venue like this be assembled and then broken down is quite an experience.
We stopped at our favourite Denny's in Red Deer and had something to eat before we "spotted" their two units on their allocated spots at the Fair. The organisers cram everyone in SO tight that is the reason they like to get up EARLY in the am and even then there are concessions already parked. (mostly local people)
After they finish the Red Deer venue we will help drive the "Pub Grub" unit out to BC in Burnaby where they live....otherwise Perry has to drive back and pick up the second unit.
Tomorrow we head back down to Calgary again to celebrate a grandson's 6th. and granddaughter's first birthday. All that family have theirs in July. These are the birthday kids.
Sending blessings your way....
ALBERTA Lori
PS the big guy has fallen asleep on his chair but I am fine for a bit as I slept from Red Deer home.
7 comments:
Interesting article about the fried foods. I used to work at fairs as a teenager, and boy was it tiring. Owned a coffee shop for a bit in California, and they had a Strawberry Festival that had the streets packed. I know where you are coming from, glad you are not doing that any more :o) Kudos for helping your friends.
It is great that you are helping your friends out with moving around. That would not be an easy life and I'm sure you are glad not to be doing it. Happy Birthday to the birthday kids. No birthdays here in July, It seems April and May are our busiest months for that. Have fun with the celebratios!
It is so expensive to eat at those special events. My feeling is~we don't do this every day, so let's just do it. I understand that these folks have a huge 'overhead' just to be there. So we find the same issue at our big Puyallup Fair in Spetember (also the Puyallup Spring Fair in April.) My favorite at the Spetember Fair is the Young Life booth where they serve these yummy BBQ beef sandwiches, coleslaw, beans and a Yukon Bar. YUM!! Linda in Washington
you were so kind to help your friends; I think fairs are fun to go to, but I know there is hard work to be providing a food stand there; people want their food fast, etc. Lots of hard work I would imagine! happy birthday to the grands! can't believe the baby is year old already!
betty
where I live, we close the town down on the saturday of or before the 4th of July and have a mid-way on the main street that's in front of the beach and we have city wide garage sales. It's always a hoot. I'm a July baby by the way. I chalk up another one this wednesday the 15th... Hope you have fun at the Stampede... Oh BTW, I've been watching the first 2 weeks of the CFL... Calgary and BC are having a few problems. Should be interesting to see how the season plays out...
God Bless you and yours Lori :)
Mik
That sounds like quite a lot of driving and I'm surprised you're not exhausted after that couple of very busy days. Very interesting article! Sorry I haven't been by sooner or more often. It's getting harder and harder to make it by blogs regularly, but it is so nice to catch up when I can.
Lori in US
An interesting entry. So good of you to help your friends.
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