91st Kennedy Moose Mountain Rodeo this weekend
July 15, 2024, 9:32 am
Ryan Kiedrowski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
When asked about what she attributes the longevity of the Kennedy Moose Mountain Pro Rodeo, Jill Lowe, Co-Chair of the Rodeo Association, had a simple, yet powerful answer.
“The community support and the love of rodeo, I guess,” she replied.
To say the event is in her blood is certainly an understatement. Lowe has been associated with the Kennedy Moose Mountain Rodeo for more than 20 years, and her great-grandfather was one of those initial people who began the whole thing back in 1933.
“I still wish I could be a fly in the corner when they first had that meeting to talk about it,” Lowe mused. “If they could only look back and know that it’s still going 91 years later!”
Every year, the village of Kennedy sees their population of roughly 200 people swell to 1,500 on rodeo weekend, filling hotels and campsites for miles around. Indeed, July 19 to 21 will note a lot of action in and around Kennedy.
One big change this year is the time of the parade, which has traditionally been held in the early afternoon, but will now begin at 11 am on Saturday morning. This change is to accommodate an added feature to the demolition derby, which follows after the parade at noon.
“They’re doing a kid’s event this year, a kid’s derby,” Lowe explained. “And I know there’s been lots of interest in that!”
After the kids are finished showing the adults—or at least bigger kids at heart—how a derby really rolls, then comes time for the metal-crunching action.
As for rodeo events, this full rodeo has something for everyone, “right from the novice to the pros,” as Lowe put it.
“Saturday and Sunday are the two main days,” she said. “There is slack on Friday.”
Slack events start at 2 pm, and all the Friday action is free of charge. Beer gardens and food booths will also be active on Friday, with money from those sources going back to the Rodeo Association. Volunteers make the entire event a success each year, and apparently Lowe won’t turn away folks who would like to pitch in and lend a hand either—there’s still time for last-minute volunteers!
“We’re a pretty skeleton crew, I think there’s 10 of us,” Lowe said when asked how many people were Association members.
That being said, this small group puts on one heck of a show affiliated with the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association.
“We’re in the Maple Leaf Circuit, so that’s for all the smaller prize money rodeos,” Lowe said. “So all the cowboys are entered and it goes by points and money earned. And then those Maple Leafs circuit finals are actually Agribition Week in Regina. We’ll have some cowboys and cowgirls that have just been at the Calgary Stampede and they will be here.”
It all seems too good to be true, the ability to witness high-caliber rodeo action, “and you can see it close up here in Kennedy,” as Lowe said. For those who are more tech savvy, all the action is also live-streamed on the Cowboy Channel app.
Saturday’s rodeo events begin at 5 pm, followed by DJ Dumo providing tunes at 9 pm. Sunday morning kicks off with a pancake breakfast over at the Kennedy Friendship Centre, followed by Cowboy Church at 11 am hosted by the Kipling People’s Church at the rodeo grounds. The rodeo continues at 2 pm until somewhere around supper time.
“They always try to have the rodeo over in three hours, but sometimes it doesn’t always work out that way,” Lowe said. “After the rodeo is the trick riders and then the wild pony races.”
Those trick riders just happen to be the famous Truco Trick Riders, whose members hail from Weyburn, Carnduff, and Oxbow. These ladies are simply astounding to see perform, a thrill you won’t want to miss.
One new feature to this year’s rodeo will be the addition of the Canadian Sports Medicine Team from Calgary—the same crew that recently helped contestants at the Calgary Stampede.
“The cowboys and cowgirls are right now in what’s called Cowboy Christmas,” Lowe said, referring to the surge of rodeo events over the past few weeks where all the big money is garnered.
“Our rodeo is right after that, so they’re pretty battered and bruised up,” she said. “Having the sports medicine team come will be a benefit for them.”
The team includes a chiropractor, massage therapist, and medical staff to help those contestants who may have had just a little too wild of a ride along the way.
Another change this year comes to how the sheep are handled.
“Instead of sheep riding, we’re doing a sheep scramble,” explained Lowe. “Any kid that enters will be able to go, and it’s running after a sheep to get the ribbon off the sheep.”
Formerly, the sheep riding event was limited to 10 kids being able to participate, whereas with the scramble, it’s open to all kids to take part.
While precise tourism statistics are not available for the Kennedy Moose Mountain Rodeo—remember all those volunteers are busy running around with many jobs already—Lowe has seen different coloured license plates in the parking lot over the years, with those who follow the CPRA circuit preferring the live action and nostalgia of a small town rodeo.
