Calgary Stampede selects David Spence as celebrity judge for 2022 parade
Officials with the Calgary Stampede announced on Monday that retired CTV News meteorologist David Spence will be serving as the celebrity judge for the 2022 Calgary Stampede Parade.
He'll be judging the floats while listening to the bands play, the horses neigh and soaking in all of the other highlights the parade has to offer.
Spence retired in November after over five decades in the broadcast industry, including 40 in Calgary.
"For 40 years he judged Mother Nature but this year he’ll be judging and awarding the best of the best during the Calgary Stampede Parade," said a tweet from Stampede officials.
Spence says it will be familiar territory.
"We did so many shows with CTV from the Stampede grounds. We did shows from the top of the ferris wheel, from the midway, when the weather turned bad we kept people aware of thunderstorms and hail storms and when it was hot we even tried to fry an egg on the sidewalk – with mixed results)," Spence said in a video shared to social media.
"Even though I retired from CTV, I'm so happy I can continue my involvement as your celebrity judge for this year's Calgary Stampede Parade."
The parade will be led by Yellowstone actor Kevin Costner this year.
The 2022 Calgary Stampede runs from July 8 – 17, with the parade running serving as the official kickoff to the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.
It starts at 9 a.m. on July 8.
This year the parade route is three blocks longer than it was in 2019. It starts at Ninth Avenue and Third Street S.E. and ends at Sixth Avenue and Fourth Street S.E. The parade committee says this is to allow more viewing space for spectators.
If you can’t make it to the parade route, tune to CTV News Calgary for our live broadcast.
We will also be livestreaming the parade at CTVNewsCalgary.ca.
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