'We're super excited': Calgary Stampede looking forward to Tuesday chuckwagon canvas auction

Organizers with the Calgary Stampede are eagerly awaiting Tuesday night's return of the chuckwagon canvas auction after a two-year hiatus.

This year marks the first time the event has taken place since 2019.

"We're super excited that chuckwagon racing is back at the Calgary Stampede for 2022, and we're very excited for the canvas auction," said Calgary Stampede spokesperson Kristina Barnes.

"We have created this to be a party with an after party post-auction with Charlie Major. Really, this is the traditional kickoff to the countdown to the Stampede."

The tarp auction will be held in the Big Four Building at Stampede Park and will, for the first time, be open to the general public.

The canvas auction is widely considered to be a barometer for the health of Calgary's economy as many of the sponsors who pay to have their company represented on the wagons are key players in the city's oil and gas industry.

In 2019, the auction raised around $3.2 million for 36 chuckwagon drivers.

There are only 27 drivers this year, and organizers say they aren't entirely sure what to expect.

"What we've learned in the past two years is that we really can't predict anything," said Barnes. "The nature of the auction is that there are so many unknowns."

"We are very optimistic. We have some great people assigned up to bid and we know the drivers have been working very hard meeting people and working to build potential partnerships."

For the drivers, getting back to competing at the Stampede means everything.

"It's really important for us to be a part of an event like this in our careers and in our sport," said Todd Baptiste.

"This is going to be able to help us sustain the sport, this is going to help us plan for next year, and just to be a part of it again, it's been too long being away."

Tuesday's canvas auction runs from 7 p.m. until 8:30 p.m.

More information can be found on the Calgary Stampede website.