The road to the 2022 Bank of America Challenge Championships at Horseshoe in Indianapolis for Canadian horses starts this weekend at J.D.A. Raceway at Evergreen Park.

The John Deere Juvenile Challenge Trials go Sunday with the final, with a $30,000 purse, slated for August at the Grande Prairie oval.

The first 350 yard race is No. 1 on Sunday with a 1:15 p.m. start.

There are five quarter horses entered including Professor Gee – owned by local Jerry Stojan. Professor Gee is the favorite, according to the Evergreen Park oddsmaker.

The second BOA John Deere Juvenile Trial is Race 2 with five horses entered including Stojan’s Nobile Rearing. The Park Pick to win that race is Nobile Rearing.  

The third of three quarter horses races is also Sunday. Race 3 is the GP Distance Stakes for $10,000 in prize money over 770 yards.

And, you guessed it, the favorite is a Stojan horse called Get It Foose. Owned by Chuck Stojan – Jerry’s father.

There are five horses in that race.

J.D.A. Raceway is the only Canadian track that hosts BOA quarter horse races.

Weekend racing starts on Saturday at 1:15 p.m. and that day includes two feature races – the Distaff Series Leg 1 over 5 ½ furlongs for $9,000 in purse money (Race3) and the Sprint Series Leg 1 (Race5) over 5 ½ furlongs for a purse of $9,000.

Both Evergreen Park Racing Club horses are competing this weekend. High Kelly Babe gets her first start for the Club in the first race Saturday and Ynotgiveitago, a gelding who won last weekend, is entered in the final race of the weekend (Race 6) on Sunday.

First 200 people through the gates on Saturday will receive a free hot dog and pop and this week’s Slow Horse Sweepstakes (race bettors who don’t win can enter their betting slip) is a $500 travel voucher from Marlin Travel.

There is no admission fee to watch the races.

It starts with a free surprise movie on Friday, June 3 and ends on Friday, October 29^th with a double-feature in time for Halloween – Rocky Horror and Evil Dead 2.

Grande Sunset Outdoor Theatre, located in the TARA Centre Parking Lot A at Evergreen Park, will be showing movies over 12 Fridays (and one Saturday) this spring/summer/fall.

Five of those evenings will be double-features and there are a lot of classics on the schedule including Caddyshack, Smokey & The Bandit (celebrating its 45^th year), Monty Python & The Holy Grail, Twister, Goonies, The Sandlot and Toy Story.

Check out the schedule here.

The movies start at dusk - which means later in the evenings for June, July and August – and there are outdoor washrooms available. Theatre-goers are allowed to sit outside their vehicles or in their truck boxes.

You can order tickets on the Grande Sunset Theatre Facebook page here.

ANOTHER STOMPEDE IS IN THE BOOKS!

There was some rain, there was some cold and there was some sun and heat.

In other words, it was a normal Stompede at Evergreen Park.

Normal also meant thousands of people flocked to chuckwagon and rodeo events at J.D.A. Raceway at Gordon Badger Stadium May 25-29 for the largest annual event held in the area.

Toss in some great acts at the beer garden, a midway and an art show and sale and it all added up to a great time for those thousands who made the short trip to the southern outskirts of the City of Grande Prairie over five days.

The World Professional Chuckwagon Association Dash For Cash Sunday night, an almost dead-heat between three wagons, was an appropriate way to end Stompede – which started in 1978 at the old fairgrounds on the east side of the city.

Check out Billy Melville’s story about the WPCA Stompede championship run here.

Bite The Dust All Pro Chuckwagons, the ponies, also performed as part of the evening show. You can see those results here.

The Canadian Professional Rodeo Association offered up some great performances Wednesday to Sunday including, for the first time at Stompede, Ladies Breakaway Roping. You can check out all of the rodeo results here.

Looking forward to Stompede 2023? Follow them through their website here.

The Horses At Evergreen Park return to J.D.A. Raceway in July and this year it’s back to a full schedule of events and special activities.

The live pari-mutuel racing starts July 9 and continues every Saturday and Sunday until August 28. First post each race day is 1:15 p.m.

First special event of the season is Fan Appreciation on Sunday, July 17.

On Sunday, July 24 the Weiner Dog Derby, after a two-year absence, is back.

This year, on two different Sundays, there will be barn tours – July 30 and August 20.

Get your fancy hats ready because Derby Day is planned for Sunday, July 31. That day will also feature a brunch.

Bacon Festival is also back. It goes on Sunday, August 7 with proceeds to the County Firefighters.

A Memorial/Pioneer Weekend is planned for August 13-14 and a Family Day is being held on Sunday, August 21.

The season wraps up with a pair of events – Mr. Mike’s Paint The Park Purple Race For The Cure and the Philip J. Currie Museum Dino Derby – on Sunday, August 28.

There are three big Bank of American regional championship races for quarter horses – Bank of America Championship Challenge, Adequan Derby Challenge and John Deere Juvenile Challenge – planned over the summer racing season with the winners of those events representing Canada at the championships in Indianapolis on October 22.

Most of the races at J.D.A. Raceway feature thoroughbreds and some of the main races include ACTRA events for fillies, mares, colts and geldings; Spring Series, Distaff Series, Maiden Trials, Marathon Series, GP Express, and ACTRA Alberta Bred Stakes.

Fun events are being planned for every race day throughout the summer for both children and adults.

There is no admission fee.

J.D.A. Raceway includes the 2,700-seat Gordon Badger Stadium. The same complex features the Wild Horse Casino & Lounge and Pines Family Restaurant. The Wild Horse and Pines open at 9 a.m. for a $4.95 breakfast that cont8nues until 1 p.m.

The Wild Horse, which is open from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. for gaming, features 99 slots and VLTs and live off-track horse race betting. The Pines is open until 8 p.m. daily.

During the race meet there will be a beverage tent set up near the Bit Stick Rentals Paddock. There are betting machines in the tent and under the grandstand as well as manned betting stations under the grandstand.

The biggest outdoor event of the year in the Grande Prairie area continues until Sunday at Evergreen Park.

Stompede is back and there is plenty to do and watch including the midway, Canadian Professional Rodeo events, All Pro Chuckwagons races, World Professional Chuckwagon Association Races, Art & Cultural Expo and a Beer Gardens with entertainment Friday and Saturday.

General public parking is available in TARA Centre Lots, A/B/C/D. After heading east at the lights at Resources Road and Hwy. 668 you take an almost immediate right down a gravel road. There will be people at the road guiding you. There is no charge for parking.

Visitors are advised to head out early to avoid any long lineups at the entrance.

Once you are parked, walk to the TARA Centre west doors and take a left. That gets you to the admission office area where you can purchase your tickets. There is a $7 grounds fee for both children and adults as well as event fees if you are going to the rodeo or evening events. Once you have paid your fees, or already have a wrist band, you can proceed through the TARA Centre northside doors and either stay at the midway or walk through to the Gordon Badger Stadium or over to Clarkson Hall.

The Wild Horse Casino & Lounge and Pines Family Restaurant and a concession are located in the Gordon Badger Stadium. There are food trucks, souvenir sales, program sales and food trucks located outside the stadium.

For a complete list of Stompede events visit their website here. For WPCA information you can visit their website here; for pro rodeo information go here; and for All Pro chucks information go here.

Kim Randall was introduced as Evergreen Park’s Associate General Manager at the Grande Prairie Regional Agricultural & Exhibition Society Annual General Meeting on Tuesday.

She will take over as General Manager on January 1, 2023. Until then she will be working closely with current General Manager Dan Gorman, who is stepping down at the end of 2022.

Randall has spent over 30 years in the hotel business and is the current General Manager of the Best Western Premier Freeport Inn & Suites in Calgary.

“I think the Park has so much opportunity and so much to offer to the people of Grande Prairie,” she says. “I look forward to coming in and being a part of that.”

She has a sister and son who both live in Grande Prairie and says “I’m coming to join my family, not just come up north.”

During his 10 years at the Park Gorman has helped cut the Park debt by millions of dollars, renovated Clarkson Hall and the Lewis Hawkes Arena and signed long-term agreements with many users, among other accomplishments.

“It sounds like he has done an amazing job here,” she says.

Randall will assume her new position at Evergreen Park in May.

If you put a win/place/show bet on trainer Wade Eno’s horses this year at The Horses At Evergreen Park you probably made some money.

Eno, the Top Trainer at the summer meet at J.D.A. Raceway, had has horses in the top three 66% of the time over the 18-day racing season.

Jamaica’s Larris Allen was the Top Jockey after 18 days of racing during July and August.

Eno finished with 12 wins, seven seconds and four thirds after 35 races involving horses he trains. The former Manitoba Derby winner (with a horse named Mongolian Wind in 2020) collected $36,017 in purse money.

Eno, from Rimbey, finished three wins ahead of three other trainers – local Nellie Pigeau, Garry Marks and Jim Depew.

Over his training career, which started in 1991, Eno has had 780 starts with 94 of those being wins and has collected $395,462 in purse money for various owners.

Pigeau, who won the award in 2021, was by far the busiest of the trainers with 90 horses entered over the two months of racing. Eno’s 35 was second-most while Marks and Lyle Magnusson each had 33 starts.

William Leech, who has local Chuck Stojan among his customers, finished with the most money earned among trainers with $74,507.

Allen raced 84 times with 23 wins, 15 seconds and 18 thirds and earned his owners $107,487 over the summer. His winning percentage was 27% and win/place/show at 67%.

Trevor Simpson finished second with 16 wins in 67 starts and Jose Rocha was third with 13 wins after leaving the gates 68 times.

Allen started racing in Lethbridge in 2010 and since then has been on 3,112 mounts with 744 wins and $2,671,088 in purses.

Three horses ended up with three wins in Grande Prairie – Causin Mischief, Benny’s Girlfriend and Serappy G. Causin Mischief was the top money earner among those horses with $11,679.

Many of the same trainers and horses now head south to Lethbridge for the fall meet, which starts this weekend.

All of the Lethbridge races can be seen on the screens in the Wild Horses Casino & Lounge at Evergreen Park.

The Horses At Evergreen Park continue every Saturday and Sunday during the month of August with 1:15 p.m. first posts.

Every weekend there are featured races highlighted by the Grande Prairie Regional Tourism Association Stakes on Sunday, August 22 and Mr. Mike’s Paint The Park Purple – Race For the Cure on Sunday, August 29 to wrap up the racing season.

August 22 is also Dino Derby Day. Dinosaurs will be trying to outrace extinction on the J.D.A. Track looking to be Fast, Faster or Fastest.Paint The Park Purple is a fundraiser for the fight against pancreatic cancer. Mascot Mania will be part of the day as local mascots compete against each other and for the public’s attention.

Grande Sunset Theatre outdoor movies continue Saturdays during August. On the 14^th there is a special movie night. The movie Jurassic Park will be shown and proceeds will go toward PARDS, STARS, Cystic Fibrosis Canada and The Salvation Army. You can purchase tickets for that fundraiser here.

The Co-op Community Disc Golf Course is one of three being used for the Alberta Disc Golf Championship on August 14-15. Visit the local association page here for details.

A Livestock Music Festival was scheduled for the 20-21 but was cancelled because of COVID concerns.

The award-winning Alberta Food & Beverage Expo is back!

It goes Saturday, August 28 from 4-10 p.m. in Evaskevich Hall in the TARA Centre. Tickets are available at Moxie’s Bar & Grill, Royal Spirts Liquor Store (Southgate) and at the Evergreen Park admin offices in the TARA Centre.

Anyone attending, or organizing, an event at Evergreen Park is eligible for the special Evergreen Park discount at the Evergreen Park Preferred Accommodations - Holloway Lodging. Grande Prairie hotels included are the Best Western, Holiday Inn, Quality Inn and Super 8.

You can order online here or advise when calling to book you are taking part in an event at Evergreen Park.

The Horses At Evergreen Park go Saturdays and Sundays with a 1:15 p.m. post time. There were to be races Friday, July 23 and 30, but those have been cancelled.

Feature events in August include Bacon Fest on Sunday the 8th; the GPRTA Stakes and Dino Derby on Sunday, August 22 and Mr. Mike's Paint The Park Purple - Race For The Cure on Sunday, August 29 to wrap up the season.

There is no admission fee to watch the races. There is a beverage tent available on lots of room for social distancing and two smoking areas. The MNP Pony Express Mobile Concession is located at the north end of the grandstand.

Wild Horse Casino & Lounge (10 a.m. - a.m.) and the Pines Family Restaurant (10 a.m. - 8 p.m.) are part of the racing complex, which also includes the MNP Concourse where betting stations are located.

Fans have the option of betting in person at the betting stations or doing so online through HPIBet or ExpressBet.

Holloway Lodging Corporation is now the preferred hospitality provider for Evergreen Park.

Holloway and Evergreen Park signed an agreement recently that will begin, what both feel, will be a great partnership moving forward.

“Evergreen Park is excited to announce its partnership with Holloway Lodging Corp, as its preferred hotel (hospitality) provider,” said Evergreen Park General Manager Dan Gorman. “Holloway Lodging Corp has four very well-known and respected Grande Prairie hotel properties that will serve well the many visitors who attend Evergreen Park’s year-round events and activities.”

Evergreen Park visitors are being encouraged to stay at one of the four Holloway Lodging Corporation facilities in Grande Prairie – Holiday Inn & Suites, Best Western Hotel & Suites, Quality Inn & Suites and Super 8.

“Holloway Lodging Corp is extremely pleased with our long-term relationship with Evergreen Park,” said Holloway Chief Operating Officer Felix Seiler. “Our partnership with this great all-year round facility fits us perfectly and we look forward to be the preferred hospitality provider.

“Our four Grande Prairie hotels are well known for their service and great staff and we welcome all visitors to the many events and functions at Evergreen Park.”

Guests that stay at one of the four hotels will receive a discount at the Wild Horse Casino & Lounge and Pines Family Restaurant when they visit the Park.

Evergreen Park will also serve as the meeting and events venue for the Holloway hotels if their facilities are booked or not able to handle larger events that could be facilitated in the TARA Centre or other Evergreen Park buildings.

Holloway and the Park will be creating various Stay & Play promotions with the idea that visitors stay at Holloway hotels and come out to the Park to play – whether it be to watch horse racing; take a spin on the slots in the casino; hike on the Evergreen Ridge trails; take part in a baseball or archery tournament; compete in horse events through gymkhana and the local horse club; try out the community disc golf course; or take in an outdoor movie at Grande Sunset Theatre.

Anyone taking part in an event at the Park will be offered a discount at all four hotels.

Holloway Lodging Corporation is a Canadian-owned hotel company specializing in operating select and limited service hotels in secondary, tertiary and suburban markets across Canada.

Evergreen Park, under the umbrella of the Grande Prairie Regional Agricultural & Exhibition Society, is a registered charitable non-profit. The Ag Society has been a part of the Grande Prairie landscape since 1911.