The Raymond Stampede

 by Marvelle Hyde Noble

Well, if it was anywhere between the years of 1948 to about 1956 or so, my father, Clarence Hyde, would be getting us ready to go to the Raymond Stampede come July 1. I can't remember anything much before 1945 when we moved away from Raymond. We lived in Rosemary from 1945 to 1948 and so until we got closer to Raymond we didn't get to go to the stampede. Mom hated it. We all loved it. We knew all along that we would probably go but nothing was aid until breakfast on July 1.

"So who wants to go with me to The Stampede today?" dad would ask while mom glared at him. Us kids all shouted, "I do! I do!" We didn't have to ask where The Stampede was. We all knew it was in Raymond, Alberta! After mom had done absolutely everything she could do possibly to find to do int he house, we would start off for Raymond and the parade. We always got there late, but Dad always seemed to find a good parking spot. No sooner had we parked the truck than Dad was off to visit with everyone. He would start at one side of the street. Usually, Lester Ann and I went with him. We would stop and visit with everyone along the way.

Dad was always a favorite among people and people would call out to him, "Hey Hyde! How you been?"

"For hell's sake, if it isn't Clarence Hyde!"

"These your kids? Good lookin'! Must take after their mother!"

I loved it. I loved the attention. I basked in the obvious admiration men had for my dad and the sheer excitement. By the time the parade started, I was walking a foot off the ground. The horses pranced with beautifully dressed riders. There were beautiful floats. Kids on their bikes decorated for the day. Bands made us walk and stand at attention. Popcorn was sold on the corner but we usually didn't get any because we were far too busy to eat.

By the time we got back to the truck from visiting, Mom would be mad. She usually had to sit by herself with the younger babies, Shirley and Colleen. I never knew a Raymond Stampede day that Mother was talking to Father.

I remember on time specifically. We always went over to Greeps (Harriet Greep was dad's older sister) after the parade. Greeps lived right across the street from the stampede grounds. Dad dropped Mom off at Aunt Harriet's and Dad and I went over to the stampede grounds, just to look around before the Stampede started and before dinner.

A turn table had been set up in one of the booths for gambling. Dad gave the man $20, which was quickly eaten up. The wheel never stopped on a place where dad would get any money. Dad was upset about losing the money so we left and went back to Greeps. When Mom heard Dad had lost $20, an unbelievable sum of money in those days, she told him he must go back and get the money back from the man.

I thought it was impossible to accomplish, but Dad and I went back to the man who had the spinning wheel. Dad demanded his money back. The man told Dad to go to hell. My dad leaned over the counter, took the man by the front of his shirt and said, "If you don't give me my money back right now, I will stand here for the rest of the day and tell everyone how you stole $20 from me." He used some other choice vocabulary which I won't repeat at this point in time. I guess the man believe Dad as he gave him back his $20.

That kind of put a kink in the rest of the day. We had dinner at Aunt Harriet's as we did every year and went home. I think it was the first and last time Father ever gambled.

The Raymond Stampede and parade was always a day that I loved, a day that I was proud to be Clarence Hyde's kid. One of the proudest days of my life was the day I rode in the Raymond Parade as the first Mrs. Lethbridge. In 1990, Dad was still alive and very proud of me. As I passed in front of him and Mom sitting in the car, I waved my hand off. I knew he was telling everyone that that was his kid waving at him.