Canada's insider blog

Walking down Calgary’s downtown Stephen Avenue Mall I spot at least a dozen belt buckles big enough to serve as dinner plates for Alberta beef. At ground level there are enough cowboy boots to kick plenty of – but few show signs of real manure. Wranglers and Levis are everywhere. It seems that once a year Calgary residents dig to the back of their closets, past their standard-issue Brooks Brothers and Anne Klein suits, to pull out a surprising quantity of Stetson cowboy hats and other cowboy ‘n’ cowgirl duds, some sexy, some gaudy.

 Then for a couple of weeks I notice that Calgarians stop wincing at the city’s outdated nickname of Cowtown and prance around like so many Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, going from one event to another – starting with dozens of free pancake breakfasts, moving on to free barbecue lunches and ending up at the Stampede grounds by late afternoon (every good Calgarian attends at least once each season). I love my free pancakes and my Wrangler butts  – and so can you. Bring your boots and hats (or buy them in Calgary), and ask any Calgarian where the pancake breakfasts and barbecues will be that day and giddy-on-up. Just be prepared for your feet to hurt like hell after a day in those boots.

•  Calgary Stampede: July 8-17, 2011. Can’t make it this year? Plan ahead for the Calgary Stampede’s 100th Anniversary in 2012.
• Where to shop for Western duds in Calgary.