118th Murraydale Stampede and Picnic a great time

Posted on July 17, 2026 by Ryan Dahlman

By Marcus Day

Maple Creek News

Set in a natural amphitheatre in the Cypress Hills, Murraydale Stampede and Picnic provided a perfect stage on Sunday for future rodeo stars to show their skills.

As temperatures soared to 30 degrees, and the sun shone relentlessly, mitigated slightly by a cooling breeze, several area competitors delivered hot performances. Two were from Maple Creek: Owen Knight in bull riding, and Paden Robertson in steer riding. Owen was the only one of six riders to stay mounted for the required eight seconds.

After scoring 61 points, he had the option of a re-ride.

However, given the speed with which his competitors were bucked off, he stuck with his score.

His win earned him a buckle and prize money sponsored by Mike and Cheri Shapley. In addition, there was $800 in prize money in memory of Robert Anderson, carried over from previous years, and a memorial shield in honour of Ed Sunde provided by Melvin and Ron Sunde and Ternes Sales and Service.Paden’s score of 74 was enough to see off a challenge from another Maple Creek contestant, Milo Christie, who took second place with 71 points. Swift Current’s Jhett Tuplin came third with 69.Success had a familiar feel to Paden, who has been riding steers for four or five years.  In 2024, he won the junior calf scramble with Tucker Jones and Coy Cronkhite, and then claimed top spot in the junior steer riding. It was just reward for all the hard work the 11-year-old had put in over the winter, practising under the eye of Tyler Martens. Two years on, Paden, now a teenager, received a buckle sponsored by Carol Anhorn, and prize money from Stan and Marge Perrin. Additional prize money came from the Cronkhite family.   To add gloss to an already good day for the Robertson household, Makenna came second in a hotly contested junior barrel race, scoring 16.888, fractionally behind Kacy Wagner’s winning score of 16.396, which was celebrated in her home community of Fox Valley. Other winning area competitors were Will Blakley, from Consul, in calf roping, and Tiara Armstrong, from Eastend, in open barrel race.  About 100 contestants took part in the 118th edition of Murraydale’s 118th annual continuous rodeo sponsored by Murraydale Stampede and Picnic Society.    They came from far and wide. As ever, Maple Creek was well represented, along with surrounding communities and urban centres like Piapot, Fox Valley, Consul, Eastend, Cypress County, Tompkins, Walsh, Shaunavon and Medicine Hat.Represented too were Swift Current, Redcliff, Lethbridge, Taber, Hallonquist, Oyen, Manyberries, Ravenscrag, Foremost, Val Marie, Bluffton, Seven Persons, Irvine, Mannville, Dunmore, Kyle, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg.One competitor came from Calgary, and another from New Zealand.There were 15 events, which included Tiny Mite Barrel Race, Junior Barrel Race, Open Barrel Race, Bareback Bronc, Saddle Bronc, Calf Roping, Wild Steer Race, Junior Calf Scramble, Junior Steer Riding, Team Roping, Junior Team Roping, Junior Cow Riding, and Bull Riding.The rodeo started with a Grand Entry, which saw Makenna carry the Canadian flag, the singing of O Canada by Charlotte Moorhead and a moment of silence for those who have passed away in the last year.

For the second year running, Heidi Beierbach was in the announcer’s booth.

She came with a selection of music that helped set the tone for the afternoon, from dance tracks to heavy rock. During pauses in the action, people were encouraged to dance, with the possibility of winning a slushy, depending on their moves.

At first, younger audience members seemed less bashful about joining in than their older counterparts. Gradually, however, more parents and grandparents began jigging to the beat.

Some spectators have been attending Murraydale on and off since the 1960s, a period when the rodeo would draw crowds numbering in the thousands.

They recall the rodeo being held on Wednesdays, when people would flock to the Cypress Hills bench and fill the hill overlooking the arena. There they would socialize over picnics.

“Afterwards there would be a dance,” said Glenda Neitz.

The atmosphere was different back then, say old-timers. There was a great sense of freedom in an era defined by social change, the counterculture movement and the rise of rock and roll. Young people rejected societal norms in favour of personal liberation.

On Sunday, there were vehicles on the hill, but not as many as yesteryear. Some spectators had arrived with umbrellas, which they unfurled to protect themselves from the sun.

A few metres away from the perimeter fencing Mama T’s and Shylo Mosquito’s food stand were kept busy. On such a hot day, drinks were in high demand.

Elaina Uribe, who runs Countryside Sweets, was also rushed off her feet, keeping customers cool.

A member of Maple Creek Multiple 4-H Club, she started her solo venture in 2022, and has been coming to Murraydale for four years, selling cotton candy and snow cones.

Emmy Robertson, secretary of the Murraydale Stampede and Picnic Society, who collated the results, was pleased with the way the event had turned out.

On Thursday, there were concerns that conditions would be muddy. By Sunday, however, the sun had dried the soil.

“It was great for a rodeo,” she said.

Although there was dust – something forever associated with Murraydale – it was never a problem for spectators.

As she wrapped up proceedings at about 5.40pm on Sunday, Beierbach mentioned the conditions.

“We could not have asked for better weather. There were no mosquitoes and a slight breeze. It was perfect.”