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The amusement equipment began, plush animal toys were displayed on the game table, and the concession booth was filled with supplies.

Last year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic forced to be cancelled-for the first time in nearly a century-the Calgary Stampede was back.

The settings may seem familiar, but due to COVID-19, the 10-day celebration of Cowboy Life has undergone some significant changes.

The sidewalk is wider, with markings showing proper spacing in the lineup and fewer rides.

Scooter (Greg) Korek, vice president of customer service at Midway Entertainment in North America, said: “We want to spread it and create more social distancing space, so we reduce the number of rides to achieve this goal.”

“The rides we didn’t bring may be some of our less popular attractions. We brought all fans’ favorites.”

Including those that caused some riders to vomit?

“Of course,” Korek said. “This is our core business.”

COVID-19 measures

New safety measures adopted by Stampede include reducing daily attendance by half, providing public health stations, and enhancing the cleanliness of the entire site. Staff and volunteers must wear masks and undergo rapid testing for COVID-19.

Watch | Take a look at this year’s Calgary Stampede:

When the organizers tried to balance safety and the desire to return to normal, COVID measures were prominent. 2:20

The carriage race was not held, and the parade that started the Cowboy Festival was limited to venues where there was no public attendance.

“What I want to say is that people need to guide themselves according to their comfort level. But of course, we are very confident that we have created a great environment here for people to come in and enjoy themselves,” said Stampede vice president Jim Laurendeau . .

Korek said Calgary is Canada’s first stop, and the entire Midway Island staff must be quarantined for two weeks upon arrival. He said that a complete cleaning staff was equipped midway, and everyone knew how to keep things hygienic and safe.

“We started in March [with] Our pandemic plan is very extensive: social distancing, masks and gloves. We are really very, very good at it. “

Parade begins

Friday marked the 109th edition of the Calgary Stampede Parade.

According to the organization, the parade will have 60 entries, 150 horses, two bands and eight floats.

This year’s parade marshal will be Katari Right Hand, a 17-year-old fancy dancer from the Siksika natives of eastern Calgary.

Naheed Nenshi will participate in the parade for the last time as the mayor of Calgary, after he announced that he would not seek re-election in April.

Although there will be no live audience this year, the local media will broadcast Parade so that Calgarians can watch from the comfort of their homes.



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