The unofficial kick-off to the 2024 Calgary Stampede happened in April, with the 44th Annual Calgary Stampede Cowboys Rangeland Deby Chuckwagon Canvas Auction. The much-anticipated annual sale took place at the Big Four Roadhouse, Stampede Park in Calgary, Alta.
Often seen as an indicator of the Alberta economy, the 2024 sale was an incredible success, with the highest average bid ever seen in the 44-year history of the event. $115,370 was the average bid on each of the 27 participating drivers, exceeding the previous record of $111,528 by nearly $4,000 per canvas, set back in 2012.
The sale was also the seventh-highest total in history, bringing in $3.15 million, with eighteen drivers exceeding the $100,000 mark.
For the second consecutive year, 2022 Cowboys Rangeland Derby Champion Kris Molle was the sale topper as Graf Mechanical Ltd. won the high sale bid at $210,000.
Ponoka Stampede WPCA Tarp Auction Sets a Record!
The chuckwagon canvas auction for the 2024 WPCA Pro Tour presented by GMC took place for one of chuckwagon racing’s premier events – the Ponoka Stampede – on Friday, May 3, 2024, at the Stagecoach Saloon on the Ponoka Stampede grounds in Ponoka, Alberta.
Prime advertising space was available on the wagons of the best 32 chuckwagon drivers in the world today, plus two Wildcard Wagons and four Wildcard Drivers on chuckwagon racing’s predominant racing circuit. If all of the chuckwagon canvas auctions in 2024 are an indication of the economic conditions year, the Ponoka Stampede outdid themselves, as the combined sale total was a record for Ponoka Stampede at $576,500.
It was a tremendous sale, to say the least, up $23,500 over the current record total of $553,000 set just last year.
The top bid of the night went to 2023 Reserve World Champion Jamie Laboucane when Pidherney’s paid $32,000 for the six-day show that starts June 26, 2024. The average bid was $15,361.11, with the median at $15,500.
Earlier in the day, it was announced that the WPCA World Chuckwagon Finals, previously held at Century Downs Racetrack and Casino, will now be held at the Ponoka Stampede Grounds from Aug 28 to Sept 1, 2024. A chuckwagon canvas auction for the WPCA World Chuckwagon Finals will be held, but dates are undetermined.
In less than one month, the wagons roll into Grande Prairie, Alberta, the first stop on the WPCA Pro Tour presented by GMC from May 29 to June 2, 2024, with the running of the Grande Prairie Stompede. Check wpca.com for further details.
Top Five Wagon Tarps
Jamie Laboucane, Pidherney’s, $32,000.00
Chanse Vigen, Grind Energy Services, $30,000
Wade Salmond, VJV Livestock Marketing Group, $28,000
Kurt Bensmiller, Versatile Energy Services Ltd. $28,000.00
Jason Glass Birchcliff Energy Ltd. $25,000.00
