Photo from the WPCA Facebook page

By Curtis Galbraith

Chuckwagons

2021 Rangeland Derby cancelled

May 27, 2021 | 5:42 PM

The Rangeland Derby at the 2021 Calgary Stampede has been cancelled.

The World Professional Chuckwagon Association made the announcement Thursday afternoon after they were informed of the decision by the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede.

The WPCA says the cancellation of the Grande Prairie Stompede, plus the races set for Medicine Hat and Bonnyville, because of COVID-19 restrictions led to safety concerns for the Rangeland Derby.

The organization goes on to say while the government’s new plan to re-open for the summer has led to some optimism in wagon racing, having that plan in early May would have prevented some of those cancellations.

The release making the announcement says, “Today’s news of the Rangeland Derby cancellation comes as a big surprise and will be devastating for many families in the wagon racing community who have collectively lost millions of dollars in revenue and incurred horse care expenses since the cancellation of the 2020 season.”

Seasonal Sorrow

How Do You Get Through The Holidays When You're Grieving?

Nov 01, 2024

Upcoming Events at Oliver's

Grief & Loss and Estate Planning Seminars

Oct 02, 2024

Local History

Oliver's Funeral Home - 109 years of Service

Sep 04, 2024

It goes on to say, “Collectively, hundreds of thousands of dollars have already been invested over the last 3 months into horse care, training and preparing for the Calgary Stampede Rangeland Derby. Similar to 2020, the cancellation of the 2021 Calgary Stampede Rangeland Derby and scheduled WPCA events will have a major financial impact on the WPCA drivers, families and their teams”

The WPCA says it is working with committees for the other scheduled events to decide what the rest of the season will look like.