The best rodeo yet.
That's how Rob Ladouceur, vice-chair of this year's Rainmaker Rodeo, described this past weekend's event.
The weather was great, the bands were phenomenal, and while the numbers have not come in, attendance was as least as good, if not better than in previous years, Ladouceur said.
Before the weekend, organizers were projecting about 40,000 visitors.
"I tell you, we had a pretty good Friday and we had a phenomenal Saturday," he said. "The midway was extremely busy, the rodeo grandstands were packed all the time, and there's about 2,000 people that fit there."
The St. Albert Kinsmen were also pleased with some of the new vendors and attractions brought on for the event.
These included a circus and wobbly water balls, inflated balloons that allowed people to walk and wobble their way across a water pool without getting wet.
"The circus had great attendance. I believe it was packed every show," he said. "We were very lucky with them."
Next year the Rainmaker Rodeo will celebrate its 50th anniversary. Ladouceur could not say whether the circus and other new attractions will return, but he expects the Kinsmen will set the bar even higher.
"We want to top this year so we want to make next year the best again," he said.
RCMP report
The weekend was also "excellent" for the local RCMP, said Const. M-J Burroughs.
Police received about 45 rodeo-related calls throughout the weekend, which is down from last year, she said. Most of the calls were handled by giving out tickets to drivers and looking after people who were found to be intoxicated.
"A large percentage of those (calls) were alcohol related for being drunk in public," she said.
The RCMP was also aided by five different crews of Citizens' Patrol and private security staff hired by the Kinsmen.
Citizens' Patrol controlled the area around Riel Park, reporting anything suspicious, while security staff helped secure the rodeo grounds, she said.
"We worked really well as a team," she said. "Those extra eyes and ears for us were excellent throughout the weekend and really helped a lot."
