Falkland Stampede Returns for 105th Year
By Jo Boxwell
Piper Yule at Falkland Stampede (photo credit: Gralyn J. Photography)
Originally planned as a community picnic to celebrate the end of the First World War, few community get-togethers have been as enduring as the Falkland Stampede. The stampede has come a long way since the spring of 1919, and Rodeo Manager Melissa Seaman explains that part of the event’s successA is due to deep roots in the community. “With a rodeo that’s been around for over 100 years, it means people’s grandparents brought them when they were little, so now they bring their kids to the stampede every year.”
These days, it isn’t just locals who attend the stampede. The three-day event sees approximately 12,000 spectators. That’s quite a feat for a small community of around 1,000 residents. Visitors come to enjoy the rodeo events, parade, dances and more. Melissa says for 2025, “We are welcoming back Shelby Pierson and Piper Yule trick riding, along with world class stock contractor, Macza Pro Rodeo, and rodeo entertainer of the year, clown, Dennis Halstead.” Melissa suggests arriving early to ensure you get a good seat and checking out the many onsite food vendors.
Melissa took on the leadership role in 2019, following in the footsteps of her dad, Jason Churchill, and her grandfather, Mervin Churchill before him. Melissa says, “When it came time for my dad to ‘retire’ there was no one else in the community interested in stepping in. The thought of the 100th being the final stampede just wasn’t an option for me, so I became the next stampede manager.”
Mervin Churchill was deeply involved in the community in Falkland and played a major role in the stampede’s development. Mervin passed away in November 2024 at the age of 83, and to honour his contributions, Melissa shares, “we are planning to build a walkway that he had been talking about the last few years.”
The stampede is the biggest fundraiser for the Falkland and District Community Association, which owns and operates community facilities in Falkland including the rodeo grounds, community hall and skating rink. Supporting the stampede helps to fund the work of the volunteer-run association in maintaining local facilities.
The Stampede Needs Volunteers
Volunteers are needed to keep the stampede tradition in Falkland going. Contact Melissa if you can help – even a two-hour shift makes a difference –at falklandstampedemanager@gmail.com.
Event Schedule
The Falkland Stampede runs from May 17 – 19, 2025. Highlights include rodeos in the afternoons, 19+ dances on Saturday and Sunday night and a parade through downtown Falkland on Sunday. For the full event schedule and to purchase tickets, visit https://thefalklandstampede.ca.
