It’s been three years, but the single event that not only kicks off the buzz for the upcoming Calgary Stampede, but is often used as a prognostication for the economy in Western Canada, finally resumed. The Calgary Stampede Rangeland Derby Chuckwagon Canvas Auction took place on Tuesday night at the Big Four Roadhouse on Stampede Park on Stampede Park in Calgary Alberta.
The chuckwagon races are the premiere event at the Calgary Stampede, and prime advertising space on the chuckwagons of 27 of the best chuckwagon drivers in the world today, mostly from the World Professional Chuckwagon Association, was put up for auction Tuesday, bringing in just over of 2.1 million dollars. Six drivers eclipsed the $100,000.00 mark.
Overall it was an extremely successful sale. Compared to the previous sale in 2019, the overall total was down, large in part to a reduction in the number of participating wagons in this year’s Rangeland Derby from 36 in 2019 to 27 in 2022. But the Average Bid of just under $78,000.00 would rank 9th best of all time in the event’s 42 year history.
Four-time Rangeland Derby Champion Kurt Bensmiller received the high bid of $185,000.00, $35,000.00 above 2019’s top bid of $150,000.00 for 2012 Champion Troy Dorchester. The low bid for the sale was $35,000.00 was down slightly from 2019, the median bid on all 27 wagons was $67,500.00, down from the median bid of 2019.
The next chuckwagon canvas sale will be for the Grande Prairie Stompede on April 14, 2022, followed by the Ponoka Stampede on May 6, 2022.
Billy Melville
Driver Sponsor Amount Bid Kurt Bensmiller Versatile Energy Solutions Ltd. $185,000.00 Vern Nolin McCaw’s Drilling & Blasting Ltd. $180,000.00 Jason Glass Friends of Glass Racing $130,000.00 Chanse Vigen Cowboys Casino $120,000.00 Kris Molle visitlethbridge.com $100,000.00 Layne MacGillivray Spray Lake Sawmills $100,000.00 Troy Dorchester Cam Clark Auto Group/Smithbilt Hats $95,000.00 Todd Baptiste S.O.R.E. Oilfield Services Inc. $90,000.00 Evan Salmond The Mod Squad $90,000.00 Chad Fike Shaw GMC Chevrolet Buick $75,000.00 Codey McCurrach Western RV Country $75,000.00 Kirk Sutherland Silverhill Acura $70,000.00 Chance Bensmiller PCL Construction Services, Inc. $70,000.00 Ross Knight The Kidz Wagon $65,000.00 Mark Sutherland Cowboys Casino $65,000.00 Cody Ridsdale O’Chiese First Nation $60,000.00 Mitch Sutherland The CanWagon $60,000.00 Kris Flanagan KV Capital $55,000.00 Obrey Motowylo Buckle Premium Vodka $55,000.00 Dallas Dyck The Balance Foundation $50,000.00 Darcy Flad EquiPride® $50,000.00 Jordie Fike Shaw GMC Chevrolet Buick $50,000.00 Chad Harden CC Contract Sales $50,000.00 Roger Moore National Motor Coach $45,000.00 Doug Irvine Private Sales Financing $45,000.00 Troy Flad La Crete Car 7 Sales $40,000.00 Danny Ringuette The Brakeman Foundation $35,000.00 Total Amount Bid $2,105,000.00 Average Bid $77,962.96 Median Bid $67,500.00 High Bid $185,000.00 Low Bid $35,000.00
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