‘I'm devastated': Calgary skaters react to partial closure of downtown park for Stampede festival
The skate park at Cowboys Park will be closed to accommodate events during the Calgary Stampede.
Fencing is up around the old Shaw Millennium Park, now known as Cowboys Park, as staff gear up for the Calgary Stampede and Cowboys Music Festival.
But the fencing has shuttered part of the skate park, in a move never done before when the space held festivals.
'I'm devastated. Honestly, seeing this, I felt like crying. It felt like I was being stabbed in the heart,' said local scooter rider Axe.
'The moment we do have the peak of the summer, they're just going to cover up the skate park and now we can't ride.'
By covering up, staff have begun assembling scaffolding in the bowl of the Yellow Zone of the park, which is an intermediate section. The scaffolding will then have a wooden base assembled over top to create a floor space for public washrooms and a food venue.
'We definitely heard a lot of complaints through our office and social media as well,' said Ward 7 Councillor Terry Wong.
'The unfortunate part of the equation is, yet again, the city has done their job. Now it's been turned over to Cowboys as part of their commitment.'
Wong adds that the closure is for 50 days and there is no plan to try and reverse course.
'I'm not sure if you can,' said Wong.
'Given the timeframe when it was approved a year ago to where we are now, there's a lot of fast-tracking. And unfortunately, some of the engagements should have been done and wasn't quite there.'
A petition started to 'Urge Cowboys Music Festival to Free Millennium Park's Skatepark' has garnered nearly 3,000 signatures in just a couple of days.
Organizer Dave Hoare says this has frustrated a lot of inner-city riders who are about to hit peak summer season.
'It's the most utilized space in the park, right, the intermediate section, it's kind of a balance between where the pros can ride, where the beginners can ride,' said Hoare.
'It's kind of the most inclusive area in the park where all the features are pretty accessible to everyone.'
Hoare hopes to see a change of course this year, but more importantly for him, in the years to come.
'It's completely outrageous. We don't have washroom access. We don't have access to the water fountains,' he said.
'I moved downtown here at the beginning of the year so I could be close to the park. I live three blocks from here; this is my backyard.'
The city chipped in roughly $6 million for repairs to bathrooms, lighting, event areas, as well as basketball and volleyball courts. It's unclear what Penny Lane Entertainment provided in terms of funding for upgrades to the park.
Portions of the skatepark will be closed until July 30.
The city of Calgary says in a statement that construction at Cowboys Park is on pause for the summer to make room for events that include Cowboys Music Festival.
'Specifically for the skate park, the advanced bowls will remain open, but the beginner and intermediate bowls will be closed,' the statement read.
Full details on what is open and closed at Cowboys Park are available on the City of Calgary's website and on signage distributed around the park.
'The closure of the beginner and intermediate skate bowls in Cowboys Park were required as part of the Cowboys Music Festival event plan,' read the statement.
'The agreement (approved by council in June 2023), brings needed upgrades to the park and is a key step in implementing the city's downtown strategy to bring vibrancy to Calgary's downtown west area by creating additional activation of park spaces and drive further economic activity in the area.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Calgary Stampeders off to a hot start host winless Ottawa Redlacks in CFL
CALGARY – Doing it for Reggie was a Calgary Stampeders theme head of Saturday's CFL game against the Ottawa Redblacks. Veteran receiver Reggie Begelton, in his eighth season as a Stampeder, had surgery this week following a leg injury that will keep a key cog in Calgary's offence out of the lineup for some time. 'Big piece, can't replace him, but you know he's been here, he's been talking to us all week, watching film with us, helping us, so you know we're looking to do it for Reggie this week because we know he wants to be out there with us,' said receiver Erik Brooks, who was promoted to starter because of Begelton's absence. Both Calgary (2-0) and Ottawa (0-2) enter Saturday's clash at McMahon Stadium with significant lineup changes. Ottawa's quarterbacking carousel stopped on Dustin Crum after Dru Brown (hip) was injured in the season-opener against Saskatchewan and Matt Schiltz was intercepted three times by Montreal in Week 2. Brown took a few reps in practice this week, but it was Crum doing first-team duty. The 26-year-old Crum has a 3-11 record in CFL starts. 'We know all three quarterbacks. Obviously Dru's not going to suit up,' Stampeders head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson said. 'Different styles. I'm sure (they) call a different game for all three guys. 'But we're just going to play our game, we're going to see what the weather's like, how we feel the best way to stop them is.' Continuous rain forecasted for southern Alberta could make for a soggy afternoon at McMahon. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. says that prospect isn't unsettling for him having played for the University of Oregon Ducks. 'The rain's not a huge deal,' Dickenson said. 'You can call your game. Maybe a little harder to catch the ball and throw the ball. We've all played in some nasty weather, especially playing and living in Canada. 'It's ball security basically. Special teams has a huge impact in a bad-weather game. Balls on the ground, the kicks that are hitting the ground and bouncing backwards. Special teams is always important, but in windy, bad-weather games, I think the importance is even more.' Adams has yet to throw for a touchdown in two games, but he's navigated Calgary to nearly 400 yards of net offence per game and ranks second to Hamilton's Bo Levi Mitchell in passing yards (585). 'The first two games I feel like the defence has really held us in there and then we come back like later on in the game,' Adams said. 'That shows our resiliency. We would like to get going a little bit more and stay more consistent, but I just like the fight that we have and just staying together.' Begelton, a three-time 1,000-yard receiver, was placed on the six-game injured list after he went down on the Stampeders' second play from scrimmage in last week's 29-19 over the Toronto Argonauts. He underwent surgery Thursday. When Adams goes to the air, he's expected to lean on Canadian Jalen Philpot, who compiled a career-high 117 receiving yards against the Argos, and Dominique Rhymes, who had four receptions for 98 yards. A wet game can turn into a running game, and Adams has a solid option in Dedrick Mills with 122 rushing yards and a league-leading four touchdowns in two games. The Stampeders will also be minus offensive lineman Bryce Bell (shoulder), long snapper Aaron Crawford (knee) and linebacker Marquel Lee (bicep), who was scheduled for Friday surgery. Micah Teitz has shifted to middle linebacker and Jacob Roberts into starting weak side in Lee's absence. Calgary's defence ranks third in the league in yards allowed (355.5), points allowed (22.5) and opponent rushing yards (57.0). Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. According to CFL statisticians, strong-side linebacker Derrick Moncrief allowed only three of eight passes in his direction to be completed in Toronto, and those passes amounted to a total of seven yards with no first downs. New Stampeder cornerback Adrian Greene had two interceptions, including one for a touchdown against the Argos. Ottawa is thin at weak-side linebacker with Lucas Cormier (ankle) and Davion Taylor (ankle) both out. The Redblacks need to get their run game going as 70 yards over two games ranks last in the league. They also need to stop shooting themselves in the foot with a league-leading 231 yards in penalties. Shiltz was 22-for-32 in passing for 205 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions in last week's 39-18 loss to Montreal. Crum has scored a pair of short-yardage touchdowns this season. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 20, 2025.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Edmonton hosts North American climbing competition for first time
A climbing wall is set up at Louise McKinney Park for the 2025 North American Cup Series, on June 20, 2025. (Marek Tkach/CTV News Edmonton) Rock climbers across North America are gathering in Edmonton for a weekend of competition. The 2025 North American Cup Series is being held in the city for the first time at Louise McKinney Park. • Download our app to get Edmonton alerts on your device Adam Luciuk, one of the event organizers for the competition, told CTV News Edmonton how the competition could open doors for more sporting events to come to Canada. 'We're excited to be able to help build the sport in Canada and in North America,' said Luciuk on Friday. 'With it being the first year, we wanted to showcase everything that Edmonton has to offer and give a good experience for the athletes, as well as the people who are traveling from all over to come here and compete.' According to Luciuk, there are around 75 competitors and more than 100 volunteers and staff at this year's event. He said organizers are hoping the competition and various activities on the grounds, including climbing demonstrations and films, will hook some hopeful climbers into the sport. 'We want to try and get more people outdoors and (involved) with the sport … we're happy to be able to have a great atmosphere for athletes, for the public to come and watch, and for people to interact with international athletes,' he added. Hannah Breen, a young climber from Colorado, said Edmonton's set up made for 'a really cool climb.' 'I did a bunch of technical things and some heel hooks. A lot of the holes are pretty good, better than I expected and the last move was fun to jump,' Breen told CTV News Edmonton on Friday. Friday and Saturday's competition will consist of lead climbing, which is a technique used to anchor the climber as they ascend, and Sunday's event will be made up of speed climbing. The event concludes on Sunday. With files from CTV News Edmonton's Marek Tkach
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
SAR member takes on big Grouse Grind challenge
Vancouver Watch Athletes took on the annual multi-Grouse Grind challenge to raise funds for North Shore Rescue Friday.
