Drivers fetch more than $3M at 2024 Calgary Stampede chuckwagon canvas auction
Posted Apr 12, 2024 7:28 am.
Last Updated May 8, 2024 2:45 pm.
It was a big night at the Big Four Roadhouse, and a good sign for the economy in Alberta — the 2024 Calgary Stampede Canvas Auction went Thursday evening, with bidders committing $365,000 more than last year.
Kris Molle, who won the Cowboys Rangeland Derby in 2022, fetched the highest bid — $210,000 from Graf Mechanical Ltd.
The average bid placed across the 27 drivers exceeded $115,000, which the World Professional Chuckwagon Association says is the highest average bid in the event’s 44-year history.
The auction is often considered a barometer of the local economy; during boom times for the oil and gas industry, records amounts of money were bid by companies wanting to advertise on the chuckwagons during the Stampede.
Just over $3.1 million was committed by donors this year.
The money supports drivers and their teams as they compete at the Rangeland Derby and throughout the year.
The 2024 Calgary Stampede runs July 5 to 14.
