On Thursday, I received the following email from my bestie, Stacey:
I am volunteering at a Rotary Club fundraising event for the Stampede tonight. They are short people. Would you be interested?
One of my favorite things to do is volunteer at such functions. On my mission in Switzerland, my favorite Christmas ever was serving dinner to the homeless. Last Thanksgiving, my little family served dinner at a homeless shelter. So I was in, hook, line and sinker–especially because I’d never worked with short people before!
It was only after re-reading her email a half-hour later I realized she could have phrased it better by saying, “they need more volunteers” and that we would not, in actuality, be serving short people.
In her defense when I teased her about it? “Give me some credit. I know they’re called ‘little people.’”
We’re both naturally blonde.
The Oxford Stomp is a long-standing tradition in Calgary’s Corporate Community. The private charity event includes the Rotary’s famous beef-on-a-bun dinner and performances each night by three international recording artists.
“International” meaning American. Goo Goo Dolls performed the night we were there.
When Stacey and I arrived, we grabbed some grub (the smoked beef was amazing) and checked in at Station 6.
Seven volunteers lined the table and we were each given an assignment. I served coleslaw and Stacey slopped the beans. Then the stampede of hungry cowboys began.
Now I know where they got the name for it.
We had a blast. Thousands of people were at the shindig and several people commented that Station 6 was not only the fastest line but the most fun and loudest.
What is most shocking of all: I wasn’t even the loudest in the group and “fork-man” James (who distributed the forks) was the rowdiest of us all.
Nice to know I’ve met my match.
The event was held at historic Fort Calgary where, in the fall of 1875, the North West Mounted Police built a small wooden fort at the confluence of the Bow and Elbow Rivers. They laid the foundation for the city that became Calgary and we got to witness a cool piece of history: a military chopper took off from the grounds carrying the American flag to the Calgary Stampede grandstand show.
Not-so historic: when the helicopter took off, this happened to ma hair.
Welcome to Jamie’s world every morning.
Stacey and I hung around talking late into the evening and as we were walking back to our car, the street-side revelries were well underway. Translation: hundreds of drunk cowfolk.
Buses were transporting people to the after-Stampede parties and a few drunk cowboys offered to escort us. When we politely declined, one of them staggered over to a community garden and picked us a bouquet of flowers, which he quickly trashed when he realized they were plastic.
It would have been a flattering moment if 1) the flowers were real. 2) he hadn’t attempted to steal them. 3) He wasn’t fall-down drunk and 4) I wasn’t married.
But still, the Oxford Stomp sure delivered a hootin’ hollarin’ good time.
Short people and all.
I'm a Canadian-born mom of two, former Denver Post columnist, family travel writer, editor of MileHighMamas.com and 9News contributor. Expert on all things Utah, Denver, family and travel. Lover of laughter and life. Happily married to a man obsessed with growing The Great Pumpkin. 