With Mother Nature lending a huge helping hand, Dean Shaver said the 24th annual Bonnyville Pro Rodeo was a resounding success.
One year after a snowstorm and brutal cold weather basically wiped out the 2010 event, it was the complete opposite this past weekend as gorgeous sunshine and seasonable spring weather attracted large and enthusiastic crowds to the Bonnyville Rodeo Grounds.
"We had a real good event, everything went exceptionally well," said Shaver, the president of the Bonnyville Pro Rodeo and Chuckwagon Association (BPRCA). "With the exception of a little bit of chilliness on Saturday evening, the weather was fantastic and really helped us draw in some very good crowds all weekend."
This year's rodeo likely set a record for the number of rodeo contestants, which is a nice compliment to local organizers with so many top professionals wanting to compete in Bonnyville, said Shaver.
As the event continues to grow, organizers are "seriously considering" extending next year's 25th anniversary event to a four-day event, kicking off on Thursday, Shaver said.
"We had an exceptional amount of contestants, so much so that we're seriously looking at a four-day rodeo starting next year," he said. "Nothing is written in stone and no final decisions have been made, but if we keep getting these kind of numbers of pros wanting to compete here, we're not going to be left with much choice but to go to four days."
One of the best rodeo facilities in the province is going to be even better for the diamond anniversary rodeo as all the chutes will be replaced and a "full facelift" of the rodeo grounds will take place, he said.
"We have a wonderful facility here, but we have to continually pour money back into it to keep it that way and we'll be doing some significant work on the chutes and other upgrades later this year," he said.
Without some exceptional work by BPRCA staff and a small army of volunteers, the event could not run as smoothly as it did this year, Shaver said.
"We can't express enough just how much hard work and dedication goes into this event by our staff and an exceptional group of volunteers, who are too many to mention," he said. "Then there's the support of the business community and a long list of private individuals who give so much to our committee to make this happen.
"This is truly a community event and thanks to the exceptional hard work and dedication of so many people, we continue to bring a great rodeo to town we can all be proud of."
Corey Styba, BPRCA vice-president, said more than 2,600 people filled the grandstands over the weekend, which is an exceptional turnout.
Some of the very best competitors on the pro rodeo circuit made the trip to Bonnyville to compete, which clearly indicated just how far this event has come, he said.
"When you have competitors like Mike Beers and Shane Swank competing, you're talking the best in the world," he said. "The level of competition all weekend was exceptional."
