Gertie the Queen of the Calgary Stampede
“This is the day I have been waiting for all year,” said Gertie to herself. “Tonight is Sneak-a-Peak at the Calgary Stampede. That means it is the start of ten days of so much fun for me.”
Gertie lives for the Calgary Stampede. It is the one and only thing that brings her joy.
Gertie lives in an apartment building off Southland Drive in Calgary, Alberta. She doesn’t have many friends so she pretty much sticks to herself. The only time she leaves her apartment is when she has a doctor’s appointment or when she does groceries. However, that all changes come Stampede time.
Gertie got out her favourite pink cowboy hat and dusted it off. She then got out her pink cowboy boots and polished them up until they shone.
“Calgary Stampede,” shouted Gertie. “Here I come!”
Gertie locked her apartment door and walked the short distance to the Southland C-Train station.
“Boy,” said Gertie, noticing everyone on the C-Train was quiet and subdued. “You people need to cheer up. It is Stampede time. It is time to party.”
Gertie started to sing at the top of her lungs. She then got up out of her seat and started to dance.
People on the C-Train didn’t quite know what to make of Gertie. Some laughed at her and some laughed with her, clapping to the song she was singing.
“I am the Queen of the Calgary Stampede,” sang Gertie at the top of her lungs. “For ten whole days I can let my hair down. I can party and have fun. I can dance and sing and even act like a clown.”
“Miss,” Gertie heard as she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. “You are disrupting other passengers.”
Gertie turned around and saw a uniformed peace officer. She wasn’t happy and neither were a couple of other passengers.
“I am going to have to ask you to sit down,” said the peace officer.
“You know,” one of the passengers spoke up on Gertie’s behalf. “All this woman was doing was trying to get everyone into the Stampede spirit. She wasn’t harming anyone. She was just having some fun.”
“Thank you,” said Gertie.
The passenger that spoke up for her started singing and dancing with her. Several other passengers joined in.
“Happy Calgary Stampede!” shouted Gertie.
“Alright,” said the peace officer. “In the spirit of the Stampede, I will let this go.”
“You are being very generous,” said Gertie, smiling.
The C-Train pulled up to the stop at the Stampede grounds. Gertie was very excited. There were so many people there but she didn’t care. She was there to have fun.
Gertie had a riot at Sneak-a-Peak. She visited several of the exhibits and she saw several rides she wanted to check out over the next ten days. She even tried out some of the different foods the food vendors offered. She knew this Stampede was going to be one of the best and she wasn’t going to miss a single minute of it.
Moral of this Story:
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