While specific details are still being wrangled, it appears the rodeo will return to the City of Meadow Lake later this year. During the regular meeting of Meadow Lake city council held Monday (Jan. 26), a motion was carried in support of the Meadow Lake Stampede Association and the local 4-H Club by having the sand and dirt required to host the 2026 rodeo installed and removed at the Meadow Lake Co-op Centre. Additionally, the parks and recreation department will have the Zamboni doors removed for the event, and all associated costs for the removal and installation of sand and dirt – including the removal and installation of the doors – will be charged back to the Meadow Lake Stampede Association at cost. The motion was brought to the table by councillor Mauri Young and seconded by councillor Conrad Read.

“The Meadow Lake Stampede Association and the 4-H Club approached parks and recreation regarding the idea of hosting the 2026 Stampede rodeo and 4-H show and sale inside Moeller Hometown Arena,” explained parks and recreation manager Regan Beck in his official recommendation to council. “All three parties expressed a desire to host the events in the arena and committed to working together to make this possible.” A major concern presented to the parks and recreation department, however, had to do with the height of the back entrance (located on the east side of the building), as it is not high enough to allow the Stampede Association to bring in dirt via gravel trucks. The group also expressed concerns about the size of the organization and the available time to haul in the dirt. The removal of the Zamboni doors will allow for increased width to allow easier access for trucks, trailers or loaders coming in and out of the building, although the height would still pose a problem for larger vehicles looking to unload dirt, chutes and other necessary items and/or equipment. “You have to remember, whoever is hauling this dirt in, will have an eight-anda-half-foot wide bucket or trailer, and will need to come in and out of there so many times,” stated Grant Marsh of the Meadow Lake Stampede Association who was in attendance for Monday’s meeting. “It’s not that it’s not doable, but the chance for damage like rubbing or scraping is that much more when it’s so narrow. There still isn’t much of a margin for error, but there is more room with the doors off.” With the Zamboni doors removed, the entrance would be about 9’10” wide.

Meanwhile, as much as he supports the Stampede Association, mayor Merlin Seymour did share his concerns about what was being presented. “I’m going to be very honest and upfront,” Seymour said. “I think the Stampede Association does an awesome job, and I am not trying to sway anybody’s vote here because everyone has his or her own say. To have the Stampede held in the Meadow Lake Co-op Centre would be a valuable asset to the whole community. You will draw X amount more people than you have the last two years at Bear Creek. My fear, however, is this is a brand new $52 million facility and, I don’t care who the operator is or what company they’re with, if they wreck the (arena) floor (or any other part of the building), I will be pissed and I’m pretty sure there would be 5,322 other people who have access to this facility who would also be pissed.” Seymour went on to say the potential for damage is much higher than if the door in question had been 16 feet high. “Unfortunately it’s not 16 feet tall,” he said. “I hope you can appreciate where I am coming from… There is a whole pile of material that needs to come in and out, and my fear is something gets damaged. The Stampede committee does an awesome job, so don’t think I am shooting you down. Maybe it was overlooked as far as how high the entrance should have been, but there were numerous meetings with numerous user groups and this was never brought forward or carried through. We can’t change the size of that entrance now.”

There was also discussion about the possibility of damaging the anchor points in the floor, as well as potential solutions including their temporary removal or ways to protect them from vehicles entering and exiting the wider accessway. “It would be nice if we can find a way to work together to make this happen,” Young said. Councillor Tom Harrison agreed. “I would really like to find a way for us to do this,” he said. “We need to do some more research and talk to some experts about making things accessible with limiting as much risk as possible. It’s essential. It’s about working together to help get this done.”

A subsequent motion, brought to the table by Young, seconded by councillor Ron Dishko and ultimately approved, permits the Stampede Association to store materials at the Co-op Centre subject to such conditions as the association assuming full responsibility for and liability of the contents stored, maintaining the area immediately around the designated storage space and the city having the right to revoke or alter the terms of the agreement. A third motion, brought forward by Young and seconded by Harrison, directs administration to draw up an agreement between the city and the Stampede Association for the use of the arena for a five-year term. The agreement will include a clause allowing either side to withdraw from the agreement if a sufficient amount of notice is provided.