Stampede prize packs added to Alberta's $1M Open for Summer Lottery

Crowds flock to the midway at the Calgary Stampede in Calgary, Sunday, July 7, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

CALGARY -

Admissions to the Calgary Stampede, along with rodeo tickets, ride passes and entertainment packages have been added to the prize pool for the $1 million Open for Summer Lottery.

Winners will be announced on July 1, when Stage 3 of reopening begins.

Entry deadline is 11:59 p.m. on June 24 and is open to everyone age 18 and older at www.alberta.ca/lottery. Winners must prove vaccination.

Stampede prizes include:

• 50 winners will receive admission for two adults and two children with two Ride & Play passes;
• 150 winners will receive admission only for two adults and two children;
• 25 winners will receive admission and two tickets to an afternoon rodeo;
• 25 winners will receive admission and two tickets to an evening performance;
• 10 winners will receive admission and two Nashville North Buck the Line passes;
• 125 winners will receive four admission passes, and;
• 250 winners will receive two admission passes.

“Offering Albertans the chance to win admission to one of the province’s iconic events shows we really are open for summer," said Premier Jason Kenney in a statement.

"I tip my hat to Stampede organizers for their hard work and determination in getting the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth back up and running, and to all Albertans who are getting their vaccines to help put this pandemic behind us.”

To date, 70.6 per cent of eligible Albertans — those age 12 and up — have received a first dose and 26.8 per cent of those eligible have received two doses.

More than 1.5million people have already entered. There will be three, $1 million draws, the first on July 1, then another in August and the third in September.

Travel prizes from Air Canada and WestJet will also be awarded.

Stage 3 begins two weeks after the province reached 70 per cent of those eligible getting a first dose, which happened on June 17, meaning it will start on July 1.

“Thanks to vaccine protection from COVID-19, we are all winners. I encourage Albertans to continue signing up for both their first and second-dose appointments," said Health Minister Tyler Shandro in a statement.

"Vaccines not only keep everyone safe, but they pave a clear path for Albertans to safely get back to their favourite activities, including enjoying a warm summer day at the Calgary Stampede.”

Everyone age 12 and up is now eligible for a first and second dose. Shandro has said you should wait eight weeks between shots if getting the AstraZeneca vaccine and at least four weeks between shots if getting an mRNA vaccine like Pfizer or Moderna.

Albertans have a choice of which shot they received for a second vaccine.

Vaccinations can be booked online or through a participating pharmacy.