Cloverdale Rodeo and Country Fair
Encyclopedia
Cloverdale Rodeo and Country Fair is an annual rodeo
and fair
located in the town of Cloverdale
in Surrey
, British Columbia
. It is held annually at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds
during the Victoria Day
holiday weekend, from the Friday to Monday.
Attendance in 2006 was over 20,000.
The fair was first held in September 1888 in the Surrey
Municipal Hall and grounds. In 1938, the fair was moved to its current location at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds
.
The rodeo was first held in 1945 and proved so popular that it was taken over by the Lower Fraser Valley
Agricultural Association in 1947.
In 1962, the fair was taken over by the Fraser Valley Exhibition Society, and in 1994, the fair and rodeo were renamed the Cloverdale Rodeo & Exhibition Association.
In 1996, the 109 year-old annual fall fair was incorporated into the May rodeo weekend.
In 2007, after controversy over the death of a steer, the rodeo announced that it will drop 4 roping events thus disqualifying itself from the professional rodeo circuit.
There are cooking, baking and canning
competitions, arts and craft
s displays and horticulture
and livestock
exhibits.
Since 1977, on the Thursday before the Fair, there has been a bed
race in downtown
Cloverdale, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce
.
A parade
is held on the Saturday of the Fair, and a midway
hosts games and rides.
For children, there are 4H club displays and children's entertainers.
activists, who allege that bucking straps, electric prod
s, spur
s and physical abuse are used to terrorize the animals into action. For the past several years, animal right activists have moved their protests into the arena, using banners and handcuffing themselves to the gates of bucking chutes.
In 2007, activists from Vancouver
, British Columbia animal rights group Liberation BC
entered the rodeo ring to protest the death of a calf in a roping event at the previous day's show. Pamela Anderson
targeted the Cloverdale Rodeo that same year by writing a letter urging corporate sponsors to end their partnership with the rodeo, claiming that "the calf roping event is particularly cruel". Following this controversy the Cloverdale Rodeo announced that it would cut ties with the professional circuit by dropping four controversial roping events including: tie-down roping, team roping, cowboy cow milking and steer wrestling.
Rodeo
Rodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
and fair
Fair
A fair or fayre is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods, to parade or display animals and often to enjoy associated carnival or funfair entertainment. It is normally of the essence of a fair that it is temporary; some last only an afternoon while others may ten weeks. ...
located in the town of Cloverdale
Cloverdale, British Columbia
Cloverdale is an historic town and designated town centre of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, located near Langley, which is east of Vancouver. The town was founded initially as a small farm community in 1870 for its fertile land and temperate climate, and has since become enveloped by suburban...
in Surrey
Surrey, British Columbia
Surrey is a city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is a member municipality of Metro Vancouver, the governing body of the Greater Vancouver Regional District...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. It is held annually at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds
Cloverdale Fairgrounds
The Cloverdale Fairgrounds are located in the town of Cloverdale in Surrey, British Columbia. Since 1938, it has been the host site of Canada's second largest rodeo, the Cloverdale Rodeo and Country Fair....
during the Victoria Day
Victoria Day
Victoria Day is a federal Canadian public holiday celebrated on the last Monday before May 25, in honour of Queen Victoria's birthday. The date is also, simultaneously, that on which the current reigning Canadian sovereign's official birthday is recognized...
holiday weekend, from the Friday to Monday.
Attendance in 2006 was over 20,000.
History
Surrey, British Columbia
Surrey is a city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is a member municipality of Metro Vancouver, the governing body of the Greater Vancouver Regional District...
Municipal Hall and grounds. In 1938, the fair was moved to its current location at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds
Cloverdale Fairgrounds
The Cloverdale Fairgrounds are located in the town of Cloverdale in Surrey, British Columbia. Since 1938, it has been the host site of Canada's second largest rodeo, the Cloverdale Rodeo and Country Fair....
.
The rodeo was first held in 1945 and proved so popular that it was taken over by the Lower Fraser Valley
Fraser Valley
The Fraser Valley is the section of the Fraser River basin in southwestern British Columbia downstream of the Fraser Canyon. The term is sometimes used to refer to the Fraser Canyon and stretches upstream from there, but in general British Columbian usage of the term refers to the stretch of the...
Agricultural Association in 1947.
In 1962, the fair was taken over by the Fraser Valley Exhibition Society, and in 1994, the fair and rodeo were renamed the Cloverdale Rodeo & Exhibition Association.
In 1996, the 109 year-old annual fall fair was incorporated into the May rodeo weekend.
In 2007, after controversy over the death of a steer, the rodeo announced that it will drop 4 roping events thus disqualifying itself from the professional rodeo circuit.
Events
Canning
Canning is a method of preserving food in which the food contents are processed and sealed in an airtight container. Canning provides a typical shelf life ranging from one to five years, although under specific circumstances a freeze-dried canned product, such as canned, dried lentils, can last as...
competitions, arts and craft
Craft
A craft is a branch of a profession that requires some particular kind of skilled work. In historical sense, particularly as pertinent to the Medieval history and earlier, the term is usually applied towards people occupied in small-scale production of goods.-Development from the past until...
s displays and horticulture
Horticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
and livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
exhibits.
Since 1977, on the Thursday before the Fair, there has been a bed
Bed
A bed is a large piece of furniture used as a place to sleep, relax, or engage in sexual relations.Most modern beds consist of a mattress on a bed frame, with the mattress resting either on a solid base, often wooden slats, or a sprung base...
race in downtown
Downtown
Downtown is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's core or central business district ....
Cloverdale, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
.
A parade
Parade
A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of some kind...
is held on the Saturday of the Fair, and a midway
Midway (fair)
A midway at a fair is the location where amusement rides, entertainment and fast food booths are concentrated....
hosts games and rides.
For children, there are 4H club displays and children's entertainers.
Controversy
The rodeo is an annual target of animal rightsAnimal rights
Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...
activists, who allege that bucking straps, electric prod
Cattle prod
A cattle prod, also called a stock prod, is a handheld device commonly used to make cattle or other livestock move by striking or poking them, or in the case of a Hot-Shot-type prod, through a relatively high-voltage, low-current electric shock...
s, spur
Spur
A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse to move forward or laterally while riding. It is usually used to refine the riding aids and to back up the natural aids . The spur is used in every equestrian discipline...
s and physical abuse are used to terrorize the animals into action. For the past several years, animal right activists have moved their protests into the arena, using banners and handcuffing themselves to the gates of bucking chutes.
In 2007, activists from Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia animal rights group Liberation BC
Liberation BC
Liberation BC is a non-profit animal rights organization based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, founded in 2004. Liberation BC is run entirely by volunteers and has an e-mail network of over 1000 supporters....
entered the rodeo ring to protest the death of a calf in a roping event at the previous day's show. Pamela Anderson
Pamela Anderson
Pamela Denise Anderson is a Canadian-American actress, model, producer, author, activist, and former showgirl, known for her roles on the television series Home Improvement, Baywatch, and V.I.P. She was chosen as a Playmate of the Month for Playboy magazine in February 1990...
targeted the Cloverdale Rodeo that same year by writing a letter urging corporate sponsors to end their partnership with the rodeo, claiming that "the calf roping event is particularly cruel". Following this controversy the Cloverdale Rodeo announced that it would cut ties with the professional circuit by dropping four controversial roping events including: tie-down roping, team roping, cowboy cow milking and steer wrestling.