The TRAVELER'S JOURNAL: June twenty-seventh, previewing the Calgary Stampede.

Although it's a modern metropolis, a western boomtown built on oil and cattle, with glittering downtown towers and rampant suburban sprawl, Calgary, Canada is widely characterized by a single event. For ten days each summer, this year July 5 through 14, this city on the high Alberta plains east of the Rockies turns into one big raucous ranch, as it hosts the superbowl of rodeos, the Calgary Stampede.

The whole town goes a little crazy, as its citizens tap into their prairie roots, not to mention many kegs of beer. Free flapjack breakfasts are served among hay bales, square dancing starts early and this city with a reputation for being friendly turns into welcome wagon central.

The epicenter of the action is Stampede Park, sort of Bonanza come to life, with a little Gunsmoke and Wild Wild West thrown in for color. Its 137 acres are decked out with dance halls, midways rides, a tepee dotted Indian Village, agricultural exhibits and talent shows.

The main event is the Stampede itself, one of the world's largest rodeos. It starts each afternoon as over 350 cowboy and cowgirl elites saddle up and hang on for events that range from bareback riding to steer wrestling. The signature competition is the heart thumping, horse drawn, chuck wagon race, which lures cowboys from Texas to New Zealand to vie for $800,000 in prizes.

Billed modestly as the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth, the Calgary Stampede is something special, drawing more Americans over the border than any other Canadian event. And it's also no coincidence that most Calgary babies are born nine months later.

The Stampede is profiled in this issue of the magazine, National Geographic Traveler, a supporter of our program.

FMI For the Calgary Stampede 800-661-1260 or www.calgarystampede.com

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