Wainwright Stampede Association
The Wainwright Frontier & Exhibition Agricultural Society has had 13 presidents over the past 65 years.
It is well known that without the efforts of many interested & devoted members, non-members, service clubs, & our business community, the stampede would never have survived.
Founding Day
Wainwright Frontier Days & Exhibition Association was formed.
February 7th, 1954
1954
Things Come Together
Corrals, chutes, catch pens, & arena were laid out & built by hand, from poles cut in the coulee.
First Wainwright Stampede
After such a whirlwind begging there was no looking back.
June 24th & 25th, 1954
1955
More Improvements
Outside fences were built & the old curling rink was moved onto the grounds. The lobby was taken off & served as the rodeo office & ticket booth, the rest was used for barns.
First Appearance of Buddy Heaton
World famous bullfighter & clown, Buddy always added to the show & his clown acts were a real crowd-pleaser. He was considered the happiest rodeo clown that ever set foor in the arena.
1956
1956
The Search for Water
Two attempts to find water on the grounds failed & water was hauled in tanks until 1968 when town water was available on taps.
New Buildings
The administration building, ticket office, & new bleachers were added.
1957
1958
Extensive Repairs
Extensive repairs to the corrals, chutes, & grounds. More bleachers were added as well.
Large Bleachers
More large bleachers added.
1960
1962
Adjustments Made
The bleachers added in 1960 were moved south of the arena because the association felt that the bleachers were to low & needed to be further back in order for everyone to better see the performances.
West Bleachers Built
An engineer was hired to draft plans to give the public a better view on the bleachers from the west. Large sections of the present bleachers were built, the finished bleachers added 3,300 seats bringing the seating capacity to 7,000.
1963
1967
Always Improving
The original corrals, chutes, & announcers booth were rebuilt.
"Biffies"
The "biffies" were replaced with modern washrooms & town water installed.
1968
1972
New Buildings
Rodeo Office & Beer Gardens were built.
More
Even more horse barns were built.
1973
1976
More Room
The east side bleachers were taken down & a solid fence was built. This allowed more room for contestants who traveled to the event, to park their campers & trailers.
Repairs Continue
Updates & repairs to the bleachers continued, & a new secondary fence was built on the east side.
1977
1980
Steel
Old chutes & pens were torn down & replaced with new steel ones.
More Improvements
A new loud speaker system was installed.
1981
May 12, 1982
3 Days
We expanded to 3 days of action to aim for a family audience.
Dream Come True
Completion of the new covered grandstand with seating capacity of approximately 3,500. This new structure is very permanent & was designed so that it can be added onto for years to come.
1988
June 19th, 1996
Joint Venture
We began a joint venture with the Elks Club to construct a 15,000sq' building. The new building served to hold many functions associated with the Elks Club, & has served as the rodeo office, public washrooms, & ticket booth.
Top Ten
Wainwright Stampede becomes one of the top 10 largest rodeos in Canada.
March 9th, 2004
2012
Expansions Continue
Expanded even further to the east, giving more room for the chuckwagons & their animals.
Brightening Up
Enhanced the arena lighting.
2013
2016
Outdoor Fun
Beer garden buildings added.
Another Milestone
Celebrating the 70th Annual Wainwright Stampede
2023