A young cowboy stands alongside an experienced rodeo contestant during last year's Meadow Lake Stampede. The multi-day event, now in its 102nd year, celebrates Saskatchewan’s ranching roots and draws competitors and families from across the Prairies. (submitted/ Kurt Hadland)

By Kenneth Cheung

HOMETOWN PRIDE

‘We’ve always had a little bit of cowboy blood in us’: Meadow Lake Stampede rides into 102nd year

May 22, 2025 | 3:55 PM

As a child in the 1980s, Kurt Hadland remembers the excitement of fair rides, the clatter of hooves and family gatherings that made the Meadow Lake Stampede the highlight of every summer.

“In the ’80s, we were so free-willed. We would have a lot, a lot of time to go down and experience the rodeo,” he said.

“Plus, we experienced the fairgrounds, which had all the teacup saucers and all of that good stuff. And my family — uncles, aunts and cousins — have always participated, so it was always a big event for them and for us to get together.”

Now a member of the Meadow Lake Stampede Association’s planning committee, Hadland is helping carry forward the tradition that shaped his upbringing.

The 102nd edition of the stampede will take place June 3 to 7 at the Bear Creek Gymkhana Grounds, and he hopes it continues to be a place where new memories are made.

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“It was a big rodeo, a big family event back in my day,” he said. “Cousins came — they came from Alberta, all over.”

Hadland’s connection to rodeo runs deep. His late father was an outrider for local chuckwagon drivers — part of a legacy he’s proud to honour.

“We’ve always had a little bit of cowboy blood in us,” he said.

Over the years, Hadland has been deeply involved in the rodeo world. He spent 15 years working with Gary Gorst and the World Professional Chuckwagon Association (WPCA), also helping Gorst’s team during their runs at the Calgary Stampede.

“I’ve hooked horses and did the chuckwagon thing for 14 years, just until 2010,” he said. Now, he applies that experience to planning the Meadow Lake Stampede.

Back in the early ’80s, the local Stampede wasn’t just big for the region — it rivalled some of the best-known rodeos in the country.

“It was the second biggest in Canada, next to the Calgary Stampede,” Hadland recalled.

That legacy is part of why he’s stayed involved.

“If we don’t keep ourselves involved, it loses its weight,” he said. “Once you’ve got something and it goes away, it doesn’t normally come back.”

This year’s stampede will feature a Western Parade on June 3 to kick off the 5-day event, the popular Bullarama on the evening of June 5 showcasing some of Western Canada’s top bull riders, and a full day of classic rodeo events on June 6 — including saddle bronc, steer wrestling, ladies’ barrel racing and bareback riding.

“Because Meadow Lake is basically up in northern Saskatchewan, and our main entertainments over the years have been such events as rodeo, winter festival, hockey, ball and curling,” Hadland said. “Most people 40 years ago didn’t travel like they do nowadays. So, it was a gathering of the community and friends to get together.”

As the community prepares to gather once again, Hadland hopes the Meadow Lake Stampede continues to be a celebration of roots, relationships and resilience.

The poster. (submitted/ Kurt Hadland)

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com