I usually don’t go to many Chamber of Commerce events even though my work has a membership, but there is one that is pretty fun to go to. It’s the annual Stampede Business After Hours hosted by Old Chicago, a local restaurant/bar. If you pre-pay it is only $7 and it gives you all you can eat food and drinks! Plus, practically everyone in the community comes out to this particular event, so it’s a great chance to rub shoulders (or is it elbows?) and network.
Kelly and Me at the Stampede Business After Hours Event
So, last night Kelly and I went down there and mingled. It was pretty fun, and I had never seen the Sky Boxes at the Stampede (Island Grove) arena before, so that was cool.
This is the view from the Sky Boxes looking to the east of Greeley from Island Grove Arena
Everyone dresses up all cowboy in hats and boots. I even wore one of my gingham shirts to get into the spirit. I talked with some old friends who have just bought a Lock and Key business, an acquaintance at the Greeley Tribune, our neighbors with the horses behind our house, local and state-level politicians or aspiring politicians, fellow Leadership Weld County graduates, and Stampede Wranglers and Committee Members to name a few. It was a good time!
Speaking of Leadership Weld County graduation, there was a picture in the newspaper the other day of the graduation event.
Article in the Greeley Tribune
When I was talking with one of the Greeley Stampede Committee members I asked him what he thought about the new change that they are going to institute this year of charging admission just to walk around. Britton and I usually will walk or ride our bikes down there and just do a lap or two of people watching like we did last year, maybe get an expensive snack and come back home. The Committee Member said that they had no way around it, but I am solidifying my opinion that this is not a good thing. Considering that for $7 at this Business After Hours event you got all you could eat and drink, $5 per person admission to just get in and walk around the carnival seems ludicrous. I’ll write more on that later as the Stampede approaches, but that’s my initial thought on it.
So you neighbors can have horses but they don’t you to have chickens? The only things more destructive than horses are people ! Yikes!
Yah isn’t that ironic! They have a little bit of land (about an acre), but where the horses hang out it is completely dirt. We still have a nice lawn with lots of grass even with our 4 chickens.
Cassie, I don’t know how your stampede committee makes their decisions but most fairs are barely breaking even these days. There are far more expenses then there are revenue sources. In our area, our city and county and chamber have to pitch in a lot just for the fair to occur.
Before you take your gripe too far, you might want to go to the fair commission office and ask to see the balance sheet. Since the economic downturn, many fairs have had to stop happening since people spend much less than they used to and expenses remain the same for electricity, bathroom rentals, carnivals, etc. Sponsorships from local businesses are way down too.
Our fair board is considering having an admission fee for the first time and the press has been “no fair or no fee” …that is our choice. The majority want the fair experience for their kids so we will pay the fee. I think it is just a sign of the economic times we are in.
I got to know the inner workings of how we got to this point because I have a good friend on the fair commission and she has been taking a lot of heat over the issue.
Laura
I think for me, they could scale it back. The Stampede is in a bubble and it needs to pop. We don’t have to have Def Leopard, Kid Rock and Poison perform in Greeley.
It used to be a celebration to honor local potato farmers. It’s grown into an unsustainable event.
We haven’t been to the Greeley festivities for several years. The parade isn’t even on the 4th of July!!! We just hang out at home, and then later on go watch the 4th of July Fireworks show at the Greeley Country Club.
I do however think that they will exclude a bunch of people from going to the stampede by adding on a fee. Which may be part of the overall plan. The last year we went there were homeless people sleeping in the middle of the festivities. There was also a lot of fights and gang activity. Not to forget of course the numerous drunks walking around. Not what I would call “Family Friendly.”
It is my understanding that this is put on by a separate business entity. Even the fireworks show is not run by the city. If this is the case, they have every right to make a profit. So they have every right to charge and limit access.
At one time the event may have been run by a local group of citizens, the city providing all the funds, etc. but I think that has drastically changed over the years. The city had to beg, steal and borrow just to keep this committee or group from moving to newer facilities along I-25.
Even if the city did this on their own dime, it would be in their best interest to generate a profit. If for anything next years event.
Its just a simple deal of either you pay and go or do something else. Personally I think this group will cry after they don’t make enough money this year, and then move away to that other facility. It will be then that the old Greeley stampede comes back. Run by its own citizens and businesses.