Calgary SSP gay life

[losername]

Originally Posted by Rusty van Reddick

You've been to both? He had.

Pride parades are famous for overestimating attendance and from that block in front of Bankers Hall it felt incredibly crowded so that might have been his perspective at the time.

Been to San Diego's and vancouvers and sandiegos felt 3-4 times the size of vancouvers. Never been to calgarys.

[Chadillaccc]

Calgary's 2nd edition of Bearacchus was a complete success! Hundreds of people showed up for the festivities over the weekend, and working at the door on Saturday we recorded about 120 attendees of the toga party at Hyde! Such a great time.

The event is hosted by the Alberta Rockies Gay Rodeo Association in order to raise money for the annual Gay Rodeo just outside of Calgary, the largest gay rodeo in the world.



Dance the night away by Chadillaccc, on Flickr

BEAR HUGS by Chadillaccc, on Flickr

Colin & Abel by Chadillaccc, on Flickr

[tomthumb2]

Damn, I'm sorry I missed it. Went last year (in my toga) and had a blast. Wish it wasn't just once a year!

[Chadillaccc]

They have the BEEF Bear Bash in Edmonton during Pride Weekend every year too! You should go this year.

Also, Bearacchus has been renewed for the 3rd Edition in April of next year

[tomthumb2]

Awesome - thx for the info! And I suppose the rodeo is on too, right? I've heard thats a lot of fun as well, especially if you camp out.

[Chadillaccc]

Yeah the Alberta Rockies International Gay Rodeo and Music Festival is on June 27-29 this year Camping is very cheap (like %50 for the whole long weekend) but attending the events can be quite expensive. I volunteer as a bar tender for one or two nights which gets me into everything for free.

ARGRA website - http://www.argra.org/



Also, the BEEF Bear Bash (Canadian Bear Weekend) is June 6-8 this year during Pride Weekend in Edmonton. The host hotel is Coast Edmonton Plaza at 10155- 105 Street NW, with rooms starting at $114/night for the Bear rate.

CBW Website - http://beefbearbash.com/j3/

[tomthumb2]

You're the best - thanks for the info! Maybe I'll see you there. The Underbear Party especially sounds like fun.

[Chadillaccc]

Yeah no problem man. We will definitely be at both.

[Chadillaccc]

I am reading an article about the Eagle, written in 2012, and it makes me sad to think I only got to go there a couple times. It was a great gay venue, had basically everything I want. Pool tables, nice people, a patio you can smoke on, community events and sponsorship (Eagle Gay Rodeo Team, etc), a bar area and a lounge area. The only gay place I go now is the Backlot, which is great, but so tiny, and it doesn't have pool tables or darts or anything like that.

Does anyone know if there are any new gay business prospects on the horizon? I heard about a few just after the Eagle closed (a new Eagle opening, a new lounge/bar opening) but none of that has happened...


Here's the article if anyone is interested...
http://www.gaycalgary.com/magazine.aspx?id=106&article=3011

[Chadillaccc]

Should we have another SSP Calgary Gay meet this summer?

[googspecial]

What is involved in such a get together?

[Chadillaccc]

The same thing as any SSP meetup. A narly gangbang...

And by that I mean, meeting up at a restaurant and sharing our nerdiness, while drinking beer and eating tastey food.

[googspecial]

Lol

Well I'm keen haha, I have a friend who frequents the forum as well who would likely be interested

[Chadillaccc]

Last time there was me, KW and his hubby, and two others who don't post much anymore, I forget their screen names here.

[googspecial]

Where/when did you have in mind?

[Chadillaccc]

I don't really have anything in mind. Doesn't really seem like there's much interest in it anyways.

[Chadillaccc]

haha a few of my buddy's are in this video. Jason is the president of ARGRA, and Mitch is a rodeo competitor, and competes in the gay rodeo, among others, every year

Long in the shadows, Strathmore’s gay rodeo bringing pride to rural Alberta | Video
Grace Scott | June 25, 2014

In the picturesque prairie fields outside of Strathmore, the Canadian Rockies International Rodeo and Music Festival offers all the western ambiance one would expect from an authentic rodeo, complete with cowboys, country music, hay bales and horses. As Canada’s largest gay rodeo however, this event is western with a twist, including female competitors in all its events and a highly entertaining competition called the Wild Drag Race.

Running June 27 to 29, the Canadian Rockies International is one of Alberta’s lesser known treasures and a huge draw for the rural LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and questioning) community. “As soon as you walk on site, I don’t want to say you’re in a bubble of rainbows and unicorns, but you sort of are in the sense of being able to be yourself,” says Jason Baker, president of the Alberta Rockies Gay Rodeo Association, which has been hosting the rodeo since 1993.

Initially a small, secluded event, the rodeo has grown to be one of the largest gay rodeos in the North American circuit, expecting more than 4,000 people to pass through the grounds this year. In a province known for its social conservatism, the rodeo’s expanding public face reflects how far Alberta has come in its acceptance and support of the LGBTQ community. “My first rodeo was in 2001 and there were people announcing, ‘Please don’t take pictures of this competitor,’” Baker says. “People wouldn’t use their real names. If you had a camera, then there would be people that would actually walk up to you and say, ‘You can’t take pictures.’”

...

Full story and video here: http://www.calgaryherald.com/life/Long+s...ide+rural+areas+Video/9973057/story.html

[Chadillaccc]

Anyone ever been to the rodeo?

[Jimby]

Originally Posted by Chadillaccc

Anyone ever been to the rodeo?

Yes. If you haven't been you should go!

[googspecial]

A shame I will be out of town this weekend. This sounds like a good time!