As the 77th Cloverdale Rodeo and the 134th Country Fair got ready to open, rodeo officials woke up to pleasant surprise.
Rick Hugh, 1st vice-president of the Cloverdale Rodeo and Exhibition Association (CREA), said the country fair exhibition "Farm Friendz' got to say hello to a new member of their team earlier this morning.
Hugh said Farm Friendz welcomed "Clover" at 6:15 a.m. Clover, a Texel cross sheep, was born to mom, Willow.
"Clover was due in April, but wanted to be able to say that she was born at the world famous Cloverdale Rodeo and Country Fair," Hugh said. "Clover has not been completely cleaned off yet, hence the rust colour."
Both the fair and rodeo open today, with Cloverdale Fairgrounds gates opening at 4 p.m and the first rode performance happening at 7 p.m.
Kathy Sheppard, president of the CREA, said she’s looking forward to welcoming everyone to the rodeo again.
She said CREA is adding new events and features to the rodeo each year, both expanding and elevating one of B.C.'s most iconic events.
“You’re getting so much value for your Fairgrounds admission ticket,” Sheppard said. “You could spend all day on the grounds going to the different stages and seeing the different shows for no additional cost.” (A Cloverdale Fairgrounds admission ticket is $15 online in advance, or $20 at the gate—all plus taxes. Kids 12 and under get onto the grounds free of charge.)
They’ve kept the same theme, Sheppard noted, "An Original Kind of Country." She said they feel it embraces the evolving identity of rodeo and “speaks” to the deep history of "our" rodeo and country fair—and the uniqueness that is Cloverdale.
“We’re a great country community in a big city.”
The familiar May long weekend event (May 16-19) officially opening with Cloverdale Rodeo Luncheon May 15 followed that evening by the Cloverdale Bed Races, which were a huge success even with somewhat inclement weather.
The rodeo parade will begin at 10 a.m. on May 17 (Saturday morning) and will include floats, marching bands, dance groups, clowns, cowboys and cowgirls on horses, and some classic automobiles.
The rodeo will feature roughstock rodeo events—bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, bull riding—along with ladies barrel racing, specialty acts, mutton bustin’, and rodeo clown acts.
There will be five competitions in the Stetson Bowl for the 2025 rodeo: May 16 @ 7:30 p.m.; May 17 @ 2 p.m. and @ 7:30 p.m.; May 18 @ 2 p.m.; and May 19 @ 2 p.m. (finals). Ninety-six of the world’s best cowboys and cowgirls will battle for more than $300,000 in prize money. And there will also be autograph sessions with rodeo athletes after each competition.
"Rodeo Weekend," also promises visitors a whole slate of other events too, including: live entertainment, food trucks, midway rides and games, along with a multitude of other feature attractions. The West Coast Lumberjack show is returning this year, along with the livestock display, the Indigenous Village, a skateboarding trick zone, and the “Buckaroo Barn” in the Cloverdale Rec. Centre (formerly called the Kids Zone)—among many other features.
Country and Western Music superstar Corb Lund will headline the musical side of things and play the CR Main Stage on Sunday night. That show is included with admission to the grounds.
The first Cloverdale Rodeo was held in 1945 and the first Country Fair was held in 1888.
Tickets for the rodeo are on sale now. Visit cloverdalerodeo.com/tickets to grab some.
