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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'We've been abandoned': Man dies in B.C. town waiting for health care near ambulance station
For the second time in less than a month, a resident of Ashcroft, B.C., died while waiting for health care after having a heart attack mere metres from a local ambulance station.

'I have to fight for myself': Quadriplegic man says N.S. government told him to live in a hospital
A diving accident at 14-years-old left Brian Parker paralyzed from the chest down. Now at age 49, he's without the person who was caring for him full-time until just last week, after his 68-year-old mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Canadian home sales fall for 5th month in a row, down 29 per cent from last July
Canada's average resale home price fell 4.5% from a year ago in July and was down 5.4% on the month as buyers continued to sit on the sidelines amid rising borrowing costs.
Wet'suwet'en pipeline protest blocks Vancouver traffic
A large rally planned in Vancouver to protest the Coastal GasLink pipeline in northern B.C. blocked traffic Monday morning.
New COVID-19 booster targeting Omicron, original variants approved in U.K.
British drug regulators have become the first in the world to authorize an updated version of Moderna's coronavirus vaccine that aims to protect against the original virus and the omicron variant.
Thousands of Afghans who helped Canada trapped in Afghanistan, struggling to leave
Canadian MPs and veteran groups are urging ministers to do more to help thousands of Afghans who assisted Canadian Forces, but remain trapped in Afghanistan a year after the Taliban seized Kabul.
Pfizer CEO tests positive for COVID-19, has mild symptoms
The top executive at Pfizer, a leading producer of COVID-19 vaccines, has tested positive for the virus and says he is experiencing very mild symptoms.
Prince Harry, Meghan to visit U.K., Germany next month
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, will visit the U.K. next month for the first time since they returned for Queen Elizabeth II 's Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Padma Lakshmi 'worried and wordless' over attack on ex-husband Salman Rushdie
Padma Lakshmi is supporting her ex-husband Salman Rushdie in his recovery. The 'Top Chef' star tweeted Sunday that she is 'relieved' Rushdie is 'pulling through after Friday's nightmare' in which he was stabbed multiple times while on stage in New York.