“Then what are we fighting for?”
Though it may be an urban legend that Winston Churchill uttered these words after learning that the U.K. government would cut funding to the arts to pay for its Second World War efforts, perhaps he should have asked this question.
Here in Cochrane, it’s coming into that time of year again, when rodeos and various events buck into full gear and the town comes alive with activities each and every weekend.
There is no shortage of things to do in Cochrane during the summer months, in fact, there are few municipalities that could brag of such goings on in their community.
This past Saturday, Cowboys for a Cure hit the Cochrane Lions Rodeo Grounds, and it was a great success, raising $15,000 for the Alberta Cancer Foundation, which works to help those living with the disease and their families.
Now it’s June, and the month is chalk full of events like Footstock, Walk and Shop, SummerFest and the opening of the Cochrane Farmer’s Market every Saturday at the Historic Ranche site.
July is when things really start to get moving, with the Canada Day Concert at Mitford Park, Classic Bullriding, the Bucking Horse Futurity, Parks Day, including the Riversong Run at the Ranch (sponsored the Cochrane Eagle), the ATB Financial Classic, a PGA Tour golf event that tees off at The Links of GlenEagles July 27. Look into the sky just outside Cochrane and you’ll see the Wings Over Springbank Airshow at the Springbank Airport.
Things don’t slow down in August, which begins with the Cochrane Ranche Day Festival on the first of the month. August is also when Fringe on the Ranche returns to town, the Sears Great Canadian Race runs through Cochrane, SpringHill’s Charity Show and Shine and the BMX Races and Fall Fair, both being held at the Agricultural Society, where there are several events throughout the summer, from Extreme Cowboy to Pace and Chase events.
Surely things will start to calm down in September, right? Don’t count on it. Cochrane’s largest rodeo weekend, the 49th annual Labour Day Rodeo, which kicks off with the Slimdor Ranch Rodeo, the Cochrane Classic Car Show, the OutHouse Races, the Canadian Cowboy Challenge and finally, the Culture Days Festival in downtown Cochrane.
Oh, and we forgot to mention the Calgary Stampede runs from July 3-12, which spurs several festivities in and around Cochrane and always boasts some local talent.
It’s pretty difficult to be bored in this area once the barometer rises from the doldrums of winter (not to say that we don’t have some cold-weather events to enjoy during the frosty season).
One of the main reasons Cochrane is able to host so many exciting events is due to its plethora of venues within town and just outside.
The Lions Rodeo Grounds, Mitford Park, the Ag Society, Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park, the Historic Ranche site, an historic downtown…these places are so vital to what makes Cochrane such a unique place where residents enjoy being able to walk…yes, walk…to all kinds of events happening right in their own backyard.
It’s also such a great way to get people from outside of Cochrane to come and spend their money in town at local businesses. It creates a vibrant atmosphere and gets people excited about being here and getting out to see what’s going on.
Imagine if these places didn’t exist and were no longer there to host all of these events. That would be tragic.
The importance of creating places like Mitford Park, funding and providing the necessary tools to these venues so they can host events like a rodeo, bullriding, fair or cultural event cannot be emphasized enough. It’s what keeps the heartbeat of a community beating.
Yes, money has to be spent on improving our roads, supplying necessary services and upgrading our infrastructure, but if we don’t keep that heartbeat going, the town will die, and we’ll just be another place where hardworking Calgarians come to sleep.
