Calgary Stampede en route to breaking attendance record

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Huge crowds continued to swarm the Calgary Stampede grounds Saturday, putting an attendance record for the 10-day festival well within sight.

Another 156,400 guests filed through the park gates, according to Stampede officials, lifting total attendance at the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth to 1,331,280 people over nine days.

A record 1,409,371 visitors were counted in 2012, the year of the Stampede’s centennial celebrations.

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Jonathan Teshome said he could feel the energy ahead of Sunday’s finale.

“There have been a lot more people this year,” said Teshome, who is working a corn-dog stall. “Lines are way longer.”

He added it takes between 30 and 45 minutes for someone to get to the front of the line to make their order during peak hours. And while the tide of people has been endless, he has managed to stave off the work pressure.

“If we’re in a rush, we always take a breather, and then just help each other figure everything out,” he said.

Not too far away was Nickolas Sourtzis, who ran a poutinerie. He smiled when asked about the demand. “Sales have been very good,” he said.

Sourtzis, who ran five stations, said he usually receives 100,000 customers throughout Stampede. This year, sales have been around 10 per cent more than in previous years.

“We’ve seen a lot of customers that we’ve dealt with last year,” he said.

“And then on top of a lot of new faces this year — people are always flying out from different countries and provinces and it seems like Stampede is just growing every year and so are our sales as well.”

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A few stations ahead, Abigail King was selling cowboy hats. King said in the previous years, the busy-ness at Stampede has ebbed and flowed. “This year, it’s constant — every day has been busy,” she added.

Last year, King said, a lot of the stall’s stock was left unsold. In contrast, the station was running out of hats, and only a few of each variety of hats were remaining.

“There’ll be a big lineup, and so I deal with hundreds a day buying.”

Attendance at last year’s Stampede was just shy of the 2012 record, at 1,384,632 visitors.

People stood in snaking queues for rides, while others wandered around munching on a corndog, or sipping pop. Outside the Nutrien Western Event Centre was Maria Farias selling lottery tickets. It was her first year volunteering at the festival since her daughter is in the Round-Up Band.

She said finding parking was a hassle, and so was a place to pull over.

“Once you park your car, you will start enjoying the busy-ness,” she said.

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