Falkland Stampede celebrates 100 years

Hundreds flocked to Falkland, B.C. on Saturday to take in the Falkland Stampede, which this year is celebrating its 100th anniversary.

“It is quite the feat for our small town. I look forward to it every year,” 89-year-old Ozzie Leaf said. Leaf has lived in Falkland his whole life.

“It means that a small community working together can keep on going for a hundred years.”

Falkland is a small community of less than 900 but over the course of the stampede long weekend, the community expects to welcome more than 7,000 visitors.

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“[It] pretty much keeps the town running. We don’t collect city taxes or anything so the money we make off this rodeo keeps the town going from year to year. It is all done with volunteer help,” rodeo manager Jason Churchill said.

The three-day rodeo started out as a community picnic to mark the end of World War I. It’s an event steeped in tradition but it’s also an opportunity for fresh local faces to cut their teeth. Caleb Boyd, from just down the road in Armstrong, will be competing in his first ever rodeo at the Falkland Stampede on Monday.

“I’m not sure what to expect or anything but I’m excited to be able to nod my head with all these other guys who are way way better,” Boyd said.

“The world needs more cowboys and this is the way to do it.”

The Falkland Stampede runs until Victoria Day.

Watch below to learn more about Falkland, B.C.