The Calgary Stampede Challenge

The challenge:  spend no more than $50 at the Calgary Exhibition & Stampede.  Shouldn't be too hard with free tickets to get into the grounds (thank-you Chad & Charmain!) And we're not doing any shopping at the Big-Four building, or going on any rides, we're just wandering around, taking it all in.  That means it should be basically free, right?

We head down Friday night & to save on parking, we take the C-train from Chinook station ($2.25 each direction, so $9.00)

Not having eaten much all day was a bad plan.  At least in my books.  I suggest that we eat something at home first and Aron guffaws.  Apparently the food is the whole point of going to the Stampede!  I'm easily persuaded.  We do a lap to get a lay of the land & see our options, finding the deep fried oreos along the way (six for $6).  Pretty good, but how could they *not* be?  A cookie, dipped in sweet batter & deep fried, then dusted with icing sugar.  Now we're on a sugar rush and need to find some semblance of a meal.  We settle on Ukranian & both choosing the "Large Dinner".  We watch as they scoop about 5 or 6 limp perogies on a plate, top them with a few sauteed onions (which I, of course, skip, not overly liking onions), carefully portion-out a tablespoon of sour cream, place two small cabbage rolls & then you could see them counting a few kielbasa chunks.And the signage said this was for the big appetite!  It was a little uninspiring, especially for $21!  Afterwards, we see a sign for Wor Wonton. 

Now we're up to $36.

We head to the Big Top for the 7:00 pm Heavy Horse Pull Championships.  Since we arrive early, we also manage to catch a pre-show performance which involves a family of 5 siblings from age 7 to 17, doing all sorts of horseback riding tricks.  The main event was loads of fun too; they never push the horses beyond their capabilities, and the commentator explains that these horses have been bred over the years to pull this kind of weight.  The raw strength and determination of the animals is cool.

By now, we're thirsty, and on the look-out for something relatively "healthy", not-to-sweet, and cheap.  Not wanting to spend $3 on a tiny bottle of water, we instead buy an iced tea & a lemonade for $4.50 each. 

Now the tally is $45.

Aron decides he wants to try the deep fried cheese ($5).  However, my personal weakness at the Stampede has always been Caramel apples and so we wander around to find one, which isn't too hard ($5).

Total is $55.

As we leave, we walk past the Bannock Booth, and there is a half-hearted attempt to buy some, but the line-up is insane and we're thwarted.

Time to go home before we spend anymore money!!