by Michelle Varem
Neighbours it’s that time of year again. The time of year where you wake up, throw on your jeans, walk straight past your fridge and toaster, and out the door with an empty stomach and a smile on your face. That’s right – it’s Stampede breakfast time.
The small but mighty flapjack has been a staple Stampede tradition for 101 years now. It started on a whim in 1923, when Jack Morton drove his chuckwagon down Eighth Avenue and, along with some other cowboy friends, started cooking breakfast for the spectators who had been there to watch the morning Stampede performance. Pancake breakfasts were served out of chuckwagons every year thereafter, and the tradition still continues on Stephen Avenue, where you can attend a breakfast at Rope Square daily.
It wasn’t until the 1950s when the breakfasts started expanding across the city. Businesses, churches, and politicians started holding pancake breakfasts. CFCN hosted their first breakfast at Chinook mall the year it opened, and Harry Hays was the first politician to flip hotcakes onto happy visitors’ plates. Both the Chinook breakfast and the Hays breakfast continue on today and rank among the largest Stampede breakfasts in the city.
These days you can find pancake breakfasts just about anywhere and everywhere. Some places get creative too – you can find vegan breakfasts or anti-Stampede breakfasts with no pancakes at all. Many of the larger breakfasts have activities and entertainment to enjoy while you wait for your food including music, bouncy houses for kids, even petting zoos. Most breakfasts are free, and as a part of the Stampede spirit many of them will accept a food or monetary donation to the Calgary food bank or other charities – be sure to look it up before you go. If you are interested in partaking in any pancakes this year, check out https://stampedebreakfast.ca/ for a mostly comprehensive list and to find breakfasts near Springbank Hill or across the city.
Historical references provided by the new Sam Centre – you can read more about the history of the pancake breakfast here: https://samcentre.calgarystampede.com/explore-and-learn/pancake-history.
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