HANGIN’ UP THE SPURS
Rodeo says so long to Northlands
Northlands hung up the spurs one last time Sunday at the Canadian Finals Rodeo. Staff and fans alike shed tears as they said goodbye to the rodeo, the last before the Northlands Coliseum shuts its doors at the end of the year.
For Northlands president and CEO Tim Reid, the moment was bittersweet.
“You always want to end on a high note and I think we did that,” Reid said, standing on the dirt Sunday in the Northlands Coliseum. “It doesn’t make the uncertainty over the future any easier.”
Attendance numbers were up at both the CFR and Farmfair International. Rodeo attendance rose to 90,268 from 87,394 the year before, in part driven by “memory seekers” looking for nostalgia, Reid said.
An early harvest and a strong Saturday concert at The Roadhouse brought crowds to Farmfair with 101,129 attending, up from 95,574 last year.
“I think we’re incredibly pleased with the partnership we’ve had with CPRA (Canadian Professional Rodeo Association) for 44 years,” Reid said. “I think it sends a strong message that rodeo, in its purest form, is important to Albertans and most importantly there’s an opportunity for us as Edmontonians to find a path forward for the CFR and Farmfair to work together.”
While Farmfair will remain, the loss of CFR would mean taking a hit to Farmfair as well.
This year, the CFR wasn’t the only rodeo in town. Rogers Place hosted the inaugural Professional Bull Riders Global Cup from Thursday to Saturday.
“There are collaborative opportunities, as long as you choose to work together with them,” Reid said. “I’m not sure we did that incredibly successfully this year where they ran head over head. Hopefully, we can do better going forward, but I think you have a lot of people that love western culture that are in the city this time of year.”
For now, Reid said everyone is taking a wait-and-see approach for what happens to the CFR. Other cities would work hard to get its $50 million in economic benefits.
He said the CPRA is entertaining options in other cities. Northlands, the city and the Oilers Entertainment Group need to work together, he added.
As Reid gave his remarks, a woman knelt down to gather dirt from the floor of Northlands Coliseum, a memento before the rodeo leaves Northlands for good.