Wainwright Stampede Association
The Wainwright Frontier and Exhibition Agricultural Society has had 13 presidents over the past 65 years.
It is a well know fact that without the efforts of many interested and devoted members, non-members, service clubs and our business community, the stampede would never have survived.

February 7th, 1954
Founding Day
Wainwright Frontier Days and Exhibition Association was formed.
1954
Things Come Together
Corrals and chutes, built by hand from poles cut in the coulee, were added; catch pens and arena were laid out and built.
June 24th and 25th, 1954
First Wainwright Stampede
After such a whirlwind begging there was no looking back.
1955
More Improvements
Outside fences were built and the old curling rink was moved on the grounds. The lobby was taken off and served as the rodeo office and ticket booth and the rest was used for barns.
1956
First Appearance of Buddy Heaton
World famous bullfighter and clown, Buddy always added to the show and his clown acts were a real crowd-pleaser. He was considered the happiest rodeo clown that ever set foot in the arena.
1956
The Search for Water
Two attempts to find water on the grounds failed and water was hauled in tanks until 1968 when town water was available on taps.
1957
New Buildings
The administration building, ticket office and new bleachers were added.
1958
Extensive Repairs
Extensive repairs to the corrals, chutes and grounds. Plus more bleachers were added.
1960
Large Bleachers
More large bleachers added.
1962
Adjustments Made
The bleachers added in 1960 were moved south of the arena because the association felt that the bleachers were to low and needed to be further back in order for everyone to better see the performances.
1963
West Bleachers Built
An engineer was hired to draft plans to give the public a better view on the bleachers form the west. Large sections of the present bleachers were built and in 1963 the west bleachers were finished adding 3300 seats bringing the seating capacity to 7000.
1967
Always Improving
The original corrals, chutes and announcers booth were rebuilt.
1968
“Biffys”
In 1968 the “biffys” were replaced with modern washrooms and town water installed.
1972
New Buildings
Rodeo Office and Beer Gardens built.
1973
More
In 1973 even more horse barns were built.
1976
More Room
In 1976 the east side bleachers were taken down and a solid fence built. This allowed more room for contestants who traveled to the event to park their campers and trailers.
1977
Repairs Continue
Updates and repairs to the bleachers continued and a new, secondary, fence on the east side was built.
1980
Steel
Old chutes and pens were torn down and replaced with new steel ones.
1981
More Improvements
A new loud speaker system was installed.
May 12, 1982
3 Days
We expanded to 3 days of action to aim for a family audience.
1988
Dream Come True
Completion of the new covered grandstand with a seating capacity of approximately 3500. This new structure is very permanent and was designed so that it can be added onto for years to come.
June 19th, 1996
Joint Venture
In 1996 we began a joint venture with the Elks Club to construct a 15,000 sq. ft. building. The new building serverd to hold many functions associated with the elks club and has served as the rodeo office, public washrooms and ticket booth.
March 9th, 2004
Top Ten
Wainwright Stampede becomes one of the top 10 largest in Canada.
2012
Expansions Continue
Expanded even further to the East parcel.
2013
Let’s Get Lit
Enhanced arena lighting.
2016
Outdoor Fun
Beer garden buildings added.
2019
????
What’s next for the Wainwright Stampede?
Our Members
President | Murray Bretzer |
---|---|
Vice President | Paul Harvey |
Stampede Manager | Art Melin |
Advertising Director | Judy Bethune |
Secretary | Lisa Turzanski |
Treasurer | Mike Foley |
Secretary Treasurer | Lorraine Melin |
Directors | ||
---|---|---|
Ian Pratt | Brian Hills | Daryl Atkinson |
Merv Grunow | Kyle Roberts | Lee White |
John Kuhnl | Shawn Haun | Bob Foley |
Cayley Harvey | Darcy Rutledge |
Interested In Becoming A Volunteer?
Great chance to be involved in the community.
Don't have much time? Don't worry!
Get Volunteer Hours
Everything from simple painting to more complex jobs everyone can help.
No obligations.
Volunteers make everything possible.
New Volunteers Are Always Welcome
The Wainwright Stampede Association is always growing and as a result, there is a higher demand for volunteers each year. If you’re interested in becoming a volunteer fill out the form below and we will contact you!