Kikino rodeo shatters attendance record

Page 8

Attendance records were shattered at the twelfth annual Silver Birch Rodeo, held August 9 to 12 on the Kikino Metis Settlement, 185 kilometres northeast of Edmonton. Close to 6,000 people passed through the gates over the four days of the event, more than six times the number who live there. "It was just about double" the attendance in previous years, said settlement administrator Roger Littlechilds. "We just blew it away."

Breaking down the attendance on a daily basis, Littlechilds said 995 people came out for the Thursday night pony, chuckwagon and chariot races. Friday's first day of rodeo action drew 1300; Saturday's crowd numbered 1750, and 1831 packed the grounds for the final day.

The record number of rodeo fans was matched by a record number of cowboys and cowgirls from the Lakeland and Foothills rodeo associations. The total of 300 contestants was up about 100 from the previous year, said Littlechilds, "and we expect even more contestants next year."

The large number of contestants boosted the total rodeo prize money to $68,000.

A number of non-rodeo events kept the record crowd entertained throughout the weekend.

These events included a two-day talent contest, a horseshoe tournament, pancake breakfasts, horse races, steak barbecues, and a rodeo dance. A parade was held Saturday morning at the Kikino hamlet.

In Saturday's eleventh annual A.M. Hope mile run, seven runners raced for $500 in prize money, with 15-year-old Bradley Hamelin of Kikino winning in a time of 5:47 on the rough turf of the horserace track.

The weekend was capped off with a Sunday night outdoor dance on the shore of Whitefish Lake, with music by Kikino's own Willow Creek Band, with guests, followed by a spectacular $15,000 fireworks show. Compared to fireworks shows at other summer events in the area, the Kikino fireworks were "way out of their league - you can't even compare them," according to many spectators. As with the rodeo, the fireworks drew a record crowd and it took several hours to clear all the vehicles out of the day beach area.

The growth will have organizers looking closely at plans for next year, said Littlechilds. The rodeo committee will have to look at either expanding to an extra day or limiting the number of entries, he said. They will also have to look at the grounds layout and the location of the fireworks as the facilities were pushed to capacity.