The 13th annual Bulls and Wagons event at the Sundre rodeo grounds will feature a blast from the past.
For the first time ever at the annual event, roughly half a dozen classic Model Ts will race in one heat of five or six laps, said Jack Nichol, chair of Bulls and Wagons, which is a subcommittee of the Sundre Rodeo and Race Association.
“We're going to see if that might help draw a little more attention on Sunday. We were kind of looking for something else to draw out more people,” he told the Round Up last week.
While the racers will largely come from other central parts of the province, local Bruce Brander, who recently participated in a similar race in High River, will be among them, said Nichol.
The Model Ts are expected to hit the track following the final day's wagon races and ahead of that afternoon's bull riding action, he said.
The rest of the annual event, which takes place Friday, Aug. 5 to Sunday, Aug. 7, will feature a similar format to previous years, he said.
“We have bull riding, chariot and chuckwagon races, the miniature kids' pony chuckwagon races, and then we have a beer garden, businessmen's calf tying, wild cow milking, a wild horse race and the kids' wild horse race as well as boys' steer riding.”
The bull riding events are lined up for the Saturday and Sunday programs. Sanctioned by World Professional Bull Riding Inc., Bulls and Wagons will be getting stock through Ty Northcott, from Bowden.
“They have some very good bulls,” said Nichol.
Additionally, the chuckwagon ponies are all pro Canadian stock that were actually taking part in races in Red Deer last week, he said.
“Most of them will be here.”
To kick off Saturday's events, a pancake breakfast will be held from 8-10 a.m. at the grandstands. There will also be a dance in the beer gardens at the grounds following the bull riding events on Saturday, Aug. 6, he said.
“We set up a big tent — it's open air, but under a roof,” he said, adding a local business provides the tent.
Improvements made to the rodeo grounds over the past two seasons have been a great asset. Work was done ahead of last year's Sundre Pro Rodeo as well as Bulls and Wagons to replace the arena's aging sand that was starting to clump and get muddy in rainy conditions, he said.
“This year we had quite a bit of rain Friday and Saturday,” he said, referring to the pro rodeo.
“We had no problems with the sand. It never got muddy and provided good traction.”
As for this year's upgrades to one of the grandstands, Nichol said spectators seemed glad to be “out of the wind and out of the sun with a good view.” To top it off, the renovations included the addition of wheelchair ramps to improve overall accessibility, which was appreciated by rodeo fans with reduced mobility, he said.
Those who attend this year's event will also have the option to buy a ticket for a chance to win the opportunity to attend a shooting of Heartland, which is filmed in High River and its surrounding area. The winner will get to invite an additional three people to come along, said Nichol.
