How many attended, what did they see?
• Northland Klondike Days won best overall float in 1990 — the same year the Oilers captured the Stanley Cup, adding more fuel to the Calgary/edmonton rivalry. Calgarians had the last laugh though: the Edmonton float broke down as it made the turn onto 9th Avenue S.W. and had to be towed away.
• Racing roosters made their Stampede debut in 1990. The ring of a bell sends the roosters flapping along a 20-metre course. A pan of grain goes to the winner. With daily exhibitions at the Centennial Fair, the cochin bantams prove to be crowd favourites.
• Rumours abound in 1991 that the 10-day event will be extended to 14 days. General manager Don Jacques puts the idea to bed, saying “Absolutely not. We’re not even considering it.”
• Prince Edward Island’s icon Anne of Green Gables kicks up her heels at the 1992 Stampede as part of her visit to Calgary to promote tourism.
• Bungee jumping comes to the midway in 1992. After signing a waiver, thrill seekers pay $79 to jump, another $20 will capture the event on video.
• By 1993 bungee jumping is trumped by the introduction of the Ejection Seat that propels riders 14 storeys into the air. More than 100 people per day shell out $40 apiece to be catapulted into the Calgary sky at 100 km/h.
• U.S. tourists flock to the 1994 Calgary Stampede and get a bigger bang for their buck because of the shrinking Canadian dollar. With the exchange rate, visitors receive almost 40 cents on the American dollar, stretching their travel budgets.
• Performing acts at the 1995 Stampede included the Sun City Poms, an Arizona-based troupe of dancing grandmas and skydiving Elvis impersonators, actually local members of the Calgary Flying Colors Skydiving Exhibition Team.
• In the spring of 1996 the Stampede board approved barrel racing as a major event — joining saddle bronc, bareback, calf roping, steer wrestling and bull riding — with a first-ever $50,000 barrel racing jackpot at the Calgary Stampede Rodeo.
• Iguanas were given away as midway prizes in 1996. After complaints from animal rights advocates, Stampede officials ordered Conklin to remove the reptiles. The iguanas were donated to Petland, and lizard-loving Calgarians were able to adopt them for a $10 fee.
• Buzz Lightyear and Woody, the popular characters of the Disney hit movie Toy Story, rode in a stagecoach at the 1996 parade. Parade marshal was TV lawman Dennis Weaver, best known for his roles in Gunsmoke and McCloud.
• The 1997 parade is jammed with one of the Stampede’s biggest-ever crowds, estimated to be 300,000. With Calgary hosting the World Police/ Fire Games, many visitors to the city stayed on to enjoy the annual festivities, which helped boost the numbers.
• Despite rain, a crowd of 300,000 lined Calgary streets to cheer on the 4,000 participants in the 1998 parade, led by honorary marshal actor Sam Elliott.
• Grandstand favourites The Young Canadians mark their 30th anniversary. The troupe, celebrating the Year of the Cowboy, invite past members to visit, with some even performing in the 1998 shows. Beginning that September, the youths who belonged would obtain five high school credits for their work with the group.
• Calgarians looked to the sky during Stampede 1998, to witness the debut of the RCMP’s gigantic 40-metrestall by 30-metres-long hot air balloon depicting a Mountie on horseback. In its maiden voyage across the city, the scarlet-topped behemoth dwarfed the Calgary skyline from vantage points as far away as Glenmore and Blackfoot trails.
• Rodeo legend Herman Linder, aged 92, was parade marshal in 1999. “I’ve been in parades all my life, but this was huge,” said Linder. He won 22 titles over 10 years, an accomplishment Stampede officials said would probably never be matched.
• Weather was an issue at the 1999 Stampede, with plenty of rain and a record low for July 15 at 2.6 C, breaking a July 15, 1901, record of 3.1 C. Hot chocolate sales were brisk.