Jim MacArthur to retire after overseeing years of change and growth at Stampede

Change and growth.

“There’s no question that technology has been a big change. We’ve gone from tickets that were sold out of a small ticket booth downtown to tickets that are sold online and scanned at the grandstand,” he said. “I think in terms of what’s happened over time with this area and maybe society in general is how mobile people are and how much access they have to everything. Years and years ago in the ’80s people didn’t really travel as far, particularly for entertainment and so that’s a little different ballgame now.”

MacArthur says that while the four days of Stampede in July are the centrepiece of what the exhibition and stampede does each year, the smaller events on the calendar are catching up. That includes the spring rodeo, chuckwagon races, Olde Tyme Christmas and the pen show in December.

“When I got back here in 2002 (the pen show) was the fieldhouse and part of the pavillion. Now it’s the entire Cypress Centre and pens are even set up outside. It’s become a really well-known livestock show in western Canada. The committee and board of directors have worked hard on it, as well as our staff of course.”

Asked about one specific moment that stands out to him, MacArthur only had to go back three years.

He recalled a colleague/friend who had formerly worked the Calgary Stampede was consulting for the Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede and was at the grandstand for the Friday night rodeo.

“The grounds were packed with people and the grandstands were full and our announcer Dave Poulsen had everybody going,” said MacArthur. “They were waving their cellphones around with the lights on. And this fellow from Calgary, he was suitably impressed and I thought it’s a pretty proud moment for Medicine Hat. Everybody was in on the celebration and having a great time.”

All events this year were either cancelled or held in COVID-friendly fashion. MacArthur said when people ask how the Stampede plans in the middle of a pandemic, he tells them it’s a lot of planning, unplanning and then replanning.

He counts being able to put on the farmers’ markets in 2020 as a proud moment.

“We were able to conduct at least 13 or 14 of those. We started in mid-June but of course they were always subject to being stopped if things got worse. So we tried our best to keep our profile up a bit and I think in the case of the farmers market the other thing that we’re please about is that we were able to support small businesses to make their way through this time as well.”

He sees the Stampede as a community builder and likens the grounds to a small-town community hall that hosts hundreds of activities each year, everything from trade shows to weddings.

That’s one of the biggest contributions the Stampede makes to the community, MacArthur said.

“I can remember kidding around with someone and saying that you could get a flu shot or buy a truck at the Stampede grounds all in the same visit.”

Russ Barnes has been with the Stampede since before MacArthur’s first term as general manager in the 1980s.

He says MacArthur filled big shoes left by Dan Sodero and MacArthur is leaving even bigger shoes to fill.

“The legacy that he leaves is a long chain of very good management. He was totally committed to the Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede as well as the community. His dedication cannot be questioned. He’s a good man and we’re going to miss him.”

Barnes says the top job at the Stampede does not have typical hours.

“It needs somebody that is committed to the organization, keep an eye on the operation. And as you know many events that happen here are on the weekend, after hours and so on and Jim has been there to cover all of them,” he said.

MacArthur echoes that, saying there’s no dimmer switch and nor should there be.

He says he’ll miss the relationships with the staff, volunteers, guest and colleagues the most.

“We’re very, very fortunate at the Stampede to have somewhere in the range of 150 shareholders and probably again in the range of 500 to 600 volunteers,” he said. “The volunteers can be someone that maybe helped out a bit on a parade morning to the directors that spend hours and hours here. But whatever the case it takes all of them to make a volunteer organization and the Medicine Hat Stampede has benefitted greatly from that and I have no doubt will continue to benefit from volunteers.”

He doesn’t have any specific plans for retirement, but says he has a few irons in the fire and a little bit of gas left in the tank. He’ll probably even been seen around the Stampede offices.

“We only live a couple of blocks from here. So I do intend to, hopefully without being annoying, hang around a bit. So I look forward to that.”

by Chris Brown

Jim MacArthur to retire after overseeing years of change and growth at Stampede

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