LETHBRIDGE WHOOP-UP DAYS OFFERS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
August 26, 2010

The Whoop-Up Days Pro Rodeo is about to kick off at Exhibition Park in Lethbridge, Alta. The annual Whoop-Up Days celebrations started Aug. 24 and run through the 28th, while the three-day rodeo gets underway Aug. 26.

“It looks good for us,” says Doug Kryzanowski, manager of corporate relations at Exhibition Park. “The best part of all this, with the exception of some great cowboys and cowgirls coming in, is the weather. It’s spectacular. And, especially for the afternoon performance on Saturday, it’s great for the contestants.”

Whoop-up Days has been a regular event every August in Lethbridge for more than 100 years and the rodeo has been an integral part of the celebrations for almost as long. Close to 3,000 people attended each performance last year, and similar numbers are expected again, regardless of what Mother Nature has in store.

“Whether or not we have good weather doesn’t hurt us. We’ve got some good stuff happening,” Kryzanowski says, referring to the other attractions – musical acts, monster trucks, reptiles and much more – on site in addition to the trade show and midway, all of which he says “absolutely” helps draw even more numbers to the rodeo.

“I think the crossover of the fair and the rodeo is of great benefit to the rodeo,” he adds, noting there’s something for everyone, whether from the city of Letbridge itself or surrounding rural areas.

“All in all, it’s a pretty sweet package, depending on whether you’re buying in advance or at the gate.”
    
Tickets to Whoop-Up Days are just $12 at the gate and $10 in advance (children under 10 are free) and include admission to the rodeo, which starts at 7 p.m. on both Thursday and Friday, and at 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.

“We have a great fan favourite and that’s the ladies barrel racing. You can tell just by the applause in the audience and especially if there’s two or three people from Lethbridge in the draw.”

And, as one of just five regular season rodeos left on the Canadian professional rodeo circuit schedule, you can be sure the athletes will be riding and roping at the top of their game in the saddle bronc riding, bareback riding and bull riding, and tie-down roping, steer wrestling, ladies barrel racing and team roping as they try and earn those last dollars needed to find their way to the Canadian Finals Rodeo (CFR) in Edmonton, Alta. this November.