Petro-Canada recently awarded Paul and Lolita Pynn of Grande Prairie the prestigious “National Associates of The Year” award at an annual awards function held in Vancouver. This is the second year in a row that the owners of Northside Petro Canada and the new Grande Prairie Travel Stop have received this award recognizing outstanding service and operational excellence.

Pynn attributes his success to a number of areas, number one being his customers.

“We try to get to know everyone that comes through our doors and make sure they leave our store appreciated. We try to instill a sense of hospitality in our business and our staff and it works. Customer don’t want to buy gas, they need to buy gas. So we want to make sure that the experience is as good as it can be by offering exceptional service and quality convenience products”.

The awards were for the Northside site but Pynn is making his goal for 2012 to win it for the New Travel Stop site on the Westside Highway 43 west.

The new site opened December 15 with the Grande Opening party happening on Thursday May 24th. Pynn picked this date to coincide with the Grande Prairie Stompede.

Petro Canada, Petro Pass and The Pynn family will be platinum sponsors for this year’s Stompede making the opening of the store a “Stompede” theme.

The opening will commence at 11 a.m. on the 24th and will feature Grande Prairie’s own Country singer Tenille performing in the lot with a luncheon buffet, site tours, free coffee and slush, in store specials and numerous prizes to be part of the festivities.

Representatives from all levels of government will be on hand, with many Petro Canada associates and executives attending as well.

The Stompede board will also be in attendance.

The general public is invited to attend the Grande Opening on May 24, from 11 am to 2 p.m.

Everyone loves a parade and when it helps salute our heritage it’s even more fun!

The annual Grande Prairie Stompede Showdown Parade is being held on Victoria Day – Monday, May 21.

It begins at Hillside School at 3 p.m. and will wind its way south to 100 Ave. and west through the downtown to the Grande Prairie Regional College.

Participants can enter as a business, group or an individual.

Categories include corporate or commercial floats, horse drawn floats, miscellaneous horse entries, musical and non-profit float. There is no entry fee.

Registration deadline is Thursday, May 17.

Anyone interested in taking part can download and fill out an ENTRY FORM and fax it to 780-532-3719 or call Holly Brothen at 780-978-4141.

Grande Prairie Stompede, Grande Prairie Chamber of Commerce and the Grande Prairie Downtown Association are teaming up to help promote the western image in the city in May.

All three are involved in the Stompede Bust Out Business Decorating Contest.

Purpose of the project is to preserve and promote the area’s western heritage as everyone celebrates Stompede Week May 23-27 in true western style.

All Chamber members, whether they are part of the Downtown Association or not, are encouraged to create their own western celebration in their place of business. Downtown Bucks, $200 worth in total, will be awarded to the winner in each category along with Stompede passes.

Categories include professional/office, retail, restaurant and other.

Judging will be done based on theme, creativity, costumes and enthusiasm. Decorating must be completed for judging by Friday, May 18 and decorating is to remain in place until May 27.

ENTRY FORMS can be downloaded and faxed to Leah Holler (780-532-5129) with Community Futures Grande Prairie & Region. Deadline for entries is Wednesday, May 15. For more information call Leah at 780-814-5340 or email her at leah@cfogp.com

By DAN ILIKA

Herald-Tribune staff

 With the chuckwagon season fast approaching, the World Professional Chuckwagon Association (WPCA) held its GMC Pro Tour tarp auction Tuesday, netting a record-setting $1.7-million in sponsorship.

Hosted at the Deerfoot Inn and Casino in Calgary, remote auction locations were hosted across the province – in Grande Prairie, Medicine Hat, Bonnyville and Rocky Mountain House – as bidders had a chance to take advantage of advertising space with some of the fastest drivers on the planet.

Tarps for 36 chuckwagon drivers were on the block at seven 2012 events, including the Grande Prairie Stompede, Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede, North American Chuckwagon Championship, Bonnyville Chuckwagon Championship, Strathmore Heritage Days Stampede, the Battle of the North and the Battle of the Rockies.

TERRI SUDNIK

The Grande Prairie Stompede, the first stop on the tour, was once again the top selling show of 2012, pulling in some $275,000.

“We’re ecstatic that the community stepped up and they are really supporting chuckwagon racing in the Peace region,” said Stompede president Terri Sudnik.

The support of the local chuckwagon scene went further than the event itself, with hometown hero Kelly Sutherland standing as the top-selling wagon at $16,000 at each show for a total of $112,000.

These numbers, according to Sudnik, evidence Grande Prairie’s chuckwagon heritage and establish the city as a western tourist destination.

“We often talk about being a tourism destination and what does Grande Prairie have,” she said. “We don’t have the lakes and we might not have the rivers or the beaches but we definitely have Canadian western heritage and that’s evident in the numbers that were raised (Tuesday) night.”

The support in the Peace extended west to B.C., with the Battle of the North in Dawson Creek netting a little more than $226,000.

For the first time in tour history all shows broke the $200,000 mark, with all seven up over 2011 totals.

The Grande Prairie Stompede and Teepee Creek Stampede would like to thank all who were in attendance Thursday, March 15 for the All Pro Canadian & Chariot Association tarp auction at Duke’s Country Club.

The auction was a wonderful success with the money raised to support the sport of chuckwagon racing increasing over last year, which was an increase from the year before.

Thank you once again to everyone who attended the auction last night and your generous support.  Without you, this exciting part of our Western Heritage would not be possible.  Don’t forget, you still have two more chances to show your support for chuckwagon racing with the World Professional Chuckwagon Association Tarp Auction on Tuesday, April 3^rd at Dukes Country Club (doors open at 4:00 pm), and the Western Chuckwagon Association Tarp Auction on Thursday, April 5^th at Evergreen Park (doors open at 5:00 pm).   Come experience the thrills and spills of the cowboy way.

appreciate the support of the following businesses and individuals for their participation. Here is a list of each driver and their sponsor for the 2012 races at the Grande Prairie Stompede and Teepee Creek Stampede:

GRANDE PRAIRIE STOMPEDE

DRIVER/SPONSOR/FUNDS RAISED

Lee Adamson/Ulterra/$2600

Ray Adamson/Keddies Tack & Western Wear/$2900

Chris Arcand /Alexander First Nations $4100

Colby Arcand/S.I.S./$2100

Herb Arcand/Sundance Energy/$3200

Philip Arcand/Cat-B-Lou Styling/$1100

Tina Callihoo/Ken Sargent GMC/$3100

Brian Campbell/Teepee Creek Stampede/$1400

Carman Currah/Kruschel Ventures/$4000

Adam Hansen/B&R Eckels/$2000

Curtis Hogg/Catwaulk Compression/$4000

Marvin Hubl/Sharp Environmental/$2500

Louis Johner /Pony Up Posse/$1400

Jim Johnson/Holiday Inn Express/$3000

Brian L’Henaff /Carlan Services/$1900

Barrie Lanktree/Echo AVU/$1200

Ken Madden/Tarpon Energy/$1300

David Ogden/Coltek Energy/$1600

Gary Salmond/Marks Hauling/$4000

Neil Salmond/Cap-It/$1600

Wade Salmond/W.E. Logging/$1500

Linda Shippelt-Hubl/Triple K Oilfield/$2000

Chris Spreen/Trojan Safety/$4250

Jack StotT/Wilmar Drywall/$3600

Lori Stott/Larry Vavrek/$1750

Tracey Stott/T.H. Machining/$2100

Garry Thiel/Pumps & Pressure/$5000

Albert Whiskeyjack/Ernco Interiors/$1400

Wilfred Whiskeyjack/O.K. Drywall/$1700

Clayton Wildcat/Apple Auto Glass/$1300

Curtis Wood/Dukes Country Club/$1300

Keith Wood/Alexander First Nations/$2100

Teepee Creek Stampede

Driver/Sponsor/Funds Raised

Dale Kobi/Friends of All Pro/$750

Tina Callihoo/Ken Sargent GMC/$2100

Len Campbell/Clearview Glass/$800

Brett Fillion/Echo AVU/$800

Bruce Fillion/All North Consultants/$1000

Gerald Galbraith/Cap It/$800

Marvin Hubl/Sharp Environmental/$1500

Jim Johnson “A”/Apple Auto Glass/$1300

Jim Johnson “B”/Lakeside Oilfield/$800

Pete McCann/Cat-B-Lou Styling/$800

John McRae “A”/T.H. Machining/$1600

John McRae “B”/Moose Creek Contracting/$800

David Ogden/Coltek Energy/$1600

Darwin Patterson/GP Networks/$1250

Gary Salmond/Marks Hauling/$4000

Rene Salmond/Apple Auto Glass/$800

Linda Shippelt-Hubl/T.H. Machining/$1200

Chris Spreen/Trojan Safety/$4250

Jack Stott/Wilmar Drywall/$3600

Lori Stott/Remax (Terri Ellen Sudnik)/$2000

Stott Family Wagon/Irvine Tack & Trailer/$4600

Tracey Stott/Ernco Interiors/$1200

Duane Wheele/Pony Up Posse/$800

Clayton Wildcat/ O.K. Drywall/$800

Anyone interested in being Miss Grande Prairie Stompede for 2012 has until April 6 to get their application in.

The Miss Grande Prairie Stompede pagent will run from May 22-27.

Successful applicants must be females between 18 and 24 as of May 24, 2012.

They must not have been married or currently living common-law, pregnant, had a child or pleaded to or found guilty of a criminal offence.

They also must be a Canadian citizen and has a valid driver’s licence that has never been suspended.

An application elimination process may be held at the discretion of the Miss Grande Prairie Stompede Committee.

A point form resume of no longer than two pages is required. The document should be typed, double spaced and organized in the applicant’s personal style as chronological, functional or a combination. Handwritten resumes will not be accepted and most be on plain white paper.

Anyone interested in taking part in the application process can click MISS GRANDE PRAIRIE STOMPEDE APPLICATION for information and application forms.

Wednesday and Thursday Stompede rodeo will be under the lights after the chuckwagon races this year! It’s all part of the 35th edition of the annual pro rodeo and chuckwagon event.

Normally the rodeo Wednesday and Thursday would be held in the afternoon, but for this year’s Stompede the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association cowboys and cowgirls will be roping and riding once the sun, for the most part, has gone down.

It’s a first for Stompede, which goes May 23-27 this year.

The Friday, Saturday and Sunday rodeo performances will return to the afternoon while pony chuckwagons, Western Chuckwagon Association chuckwagons and the World Professional Chuckwagon Association chuckwagons will be part of the evening show all five days.

This year’s midway goes Thursday to Sunday and will include some new rides and the always-popular Ricky Ticky Wanchuk is back as are the Crazy Cowgirls Trick Riders.

Stompede tickets are on sale at the Crystal Centre Box Office and sponsorships area available by calling Erin Peters at 780-518-4724 or emailing her at erinbeverlypeters@gmail.com

The King has retained his crown.

On Sunday, chuckwagon legend Kelly “The King” Sutherland captured his 12th career World Chuckwagon Championship at the 2011 Richard Cosgrave Badlands Dinosaur Derby in Drumheller. The derby was the final World Professional Chuckwagon Association race for the 2011 season.

It took Sutherland all three days of the Drumheller race to secure the slim victory over second-place Troy Dorchester and third-place Grant Profit. Dorchester finished 27.5 points behind Sutherland and Profit finished 29.5 back.

“I’m elated, to say the least, to win it and it was a tough fight this year,” said Sutherland as he returned home to Grande Prairie on Monday. “The points got very close and I’m happy that things went well in Drumheller.”

Sutherland entered the Drumheller event with a tiny 5.5 lead over Profit and a 11.5 lead over Dorchester. It was a completely different situation than when he won the title last season in Edmonton, having sealed the championship on the second-to-last day of racing.

In Drumheller, the lead was small enough that one bad race could have changed everything.

“It was a three-way race … but the first night in Drumheller I ran big and I knew that I was going to have a pretty good show,” Sutherland said. “But you never know, you still have to run clean because when you’re only eight or nine points ahead of someone you have to have a perfect run.

On the race for the title being so close, he added: “There’s a lot more emotion involved because you know that at anytime in a wagon race, mistakes can be made. It just takes one second and the whole outcome changes, so the pressure is on and it’s a great feeling when you finally end up winning it.”

Throughout the season, which began with the Grande Prairie Stompede back in May, Sutherland finished with tour victories at the Ponoka Stampede, the Strathmore Heritage Days Stampede, and the Battle of the North in Dawson Creek.

He also won his 12th Calgary Stampede title this year, although there are no WPCA points awarded for that racing event.

Sutherland also finished with eight top 10 finishes and he only finished outside of the top 10 twice all season.

One of those races was the Battle of the Rockies held at Rocky Mountain House, which Sutherland regarded as the reason the race for the championship was so close this season.

“I had actually given up quite a few points in Rocky Mountain House,” said Sutherland who finished dead last at the 36th spot in the Battle of the Rockies. “For some reason the horses didn’t like to run that race track very much. I didn’t make very good runs there.”

Throughout the season Profit was a strong contender to upset Sutherland. The Cochrane native won two events this season and he had nine top 10 finishes this season. However it was the rise of Dorchester throughout the season really caught Sutherland off guard.

“The guy that really seemed to come strong at the end of the year was Troy Dorchester,” Sutherland said. “He ran really tough and straight from Dawson Creek he just kept gaining points on everybody. He never let up a bit, even in Drumheller.

“I ended up having two better runs than he did (in Drumheller) and that’s all it took.”

In addition to fending off Dorchester and Profit on Sunday, Sutherland had to deal with the sun and 27 C weather.

“When the temperature gets over 22 or 24 degrees, then dehydration becomes a problem,” Sutherland said. “With the horses, you try to get enough fluid in them so they’ll don’t get too dehydrated whenever it’s hot. I think the ideal temperature is probably 22 to 24 degrees.”

By winning his 12th world championship and his 12th Calgary Stampede this season, Sutherland has captured both titles in the same season for the sixth time.

-          IVAN DANIELEWICZ Herald-Tribune staff

Winning never gets old for Kelly Sutherland, but it probably does for those who race against him.

The 59-year-old Grande Prairie reinsman left no doubt as to who would rule the GMC Rangeland Derby on Sunday night when he rocketed down the homestretch to his 12th victory in the sport’s richest and most prestigious show.

Sutherland has won the championship in each of five decades and on this warm night in front of a packed house, he was the best from start to finish off the No. 1 barrel to pocket a second straight $100,000 cheque.

“For me, it’s such an emotional roller-coaster,” he said. “This sport has always been so good to me. There’s just something magical about this racetrack and this town. I just get so much confidence coming in here. I just feel there’s no doubt I’m going to make the finals and if all things work out, I’m going to win it.”

Longtime rival Reg Johnstone leaned on Sutherland’s shoulder through the first four furlongs with a two-wide trip but the 11-time World Pro champion simply left his challengers in the dust.

Kurt Bensmiller, making his debut in the big race, finished third and Jerry Bremner, the 1993 champion, was fourth – exactly the way they started on their barrels.

“That was unreal,” said Sutherland. “I just wanted the race to go off without any penalties to anybody. Then the horn went, and they just launched. I knew right then that I was going to make a perfect barrel turn ’cause the lead team is such a good lead team. The right leader is 17 years old and he’s just so awesome.

“Once I turned the bottom and spotted where Reg was, we went sideby-side. I knew Reg would be tough. When I turned for home, mine had a lot of gas left. I was very fortunate. The horses ran big.”

Pulling in for his 20th appearance in the big dash, the man they call The King brought back the same outfit that staked him to the No. 1 time in Saturday’s semis and, thus, his choice of barrels in the final. The foursome of thoroughbreds included a grey wheeler out of son Mark’s barn.

“They jumped a little bit before the horn, settled and then they worked perfect,” he said. “That grey wheeler of Mark’s really made a lot of difference. I knew Reggie was going to be tough to out-run and when we turned for home, they seemed to have a lot of power left. I was really confident in those horses.”

Sutherland said he felt it was tantamount to having the No. 1 barrel.

“They changed the pattern here this year with the track and I think whoever had the number one this year was going to win it . . . it was all in the barrels and I was fortunate enough to have the one.”

Sutherland, who brought wife Debbie to the stage in a big hug to accept the winner’s cheque, also won the show four times – in 1974-75 and 1977-78 – when it was decided strictly by aggregate time. He reeled in at least one victory in the 1980s, the 1990s and 2000s before nailing a record 11th triumph last year to replace Dick Cosgrave as the all-time champion. Outriders Reo King and Chanse Vigen chased his wagon in the final.

Johnstone, who celebrates his 63rd birthday today, nailed his first aggregate award on Friday night by topping the eight-day qualifying run to Saturday’s semifinals, but simply couldn’t hunt down his long time foe who he outrode for in those 1970 victories.

“We hooked what we thought were the best in the barn,” he said of his fourth trip to the championship run. Johnstone won $25,000 for second place.

Bensmiller is the 28-year-old son of three-time Calgary champion Buddy Bensmiller and wrote Rangeland history inasmuch as he represents the third generation of the same family to appear in the championship dash. He follows Buddy and his granddad Alan Bensmiller. Kurt won $15,000.

Bremner was in the dash for the seventh time and won $10,000.

THIS AND THAT: Layne Bremner roared up to take second day money and grab the Orville Strandquist Award as top rookie. The award was decided on total money won through 10 days . . . Fastest run of the night came from Wayne Knight with a 1: 16.03 off the No. 4 barrel in the seventh heat.

-        John Down, Calgary Herald

Kelly Sutherland isn’t the only local competitor who has advanced to the finals at the Calgary Stampede.

Bareback rider Dusty Lavalley of Bezanson will be going after the big bucks this afternoon when the top 10 bareback riders battle. He is on Nelly Kelly.

Joining Lavalley in the finals are Clint Cannon, Matt Lait Kaycee Feild, Bobby Mote, William Lowe, Steven Peebles, Ryan Gray, Steven Dent and Kyle Bowers.

Another Peace Country cowboy, Clayton Moore of Pouce Coupe, has advanced to the steer wrestling finals.

Chance Vigen of Grande Prairie was named the top outrider at the Rangeland Derby.