{"id":782490,"date":"2026-07-05T20:57:28","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T20:57:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/782490\/"},"modified":"2026-07-05T20:57:28","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T20:57:28","slug":"a-whos-who-of-calgary-legacy-breakfast-brings-back-long-stampede-tradition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/782490\/","title":{"rendered":"‘A who’s who of Calgary’: Legacy Breakfast brings back long Stampede tradition"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mayor Jeromy Farkas recalled nervously working a crowd at the Hays Breakfast 10 years ago, handshaking his way into the political establishment to earn a spot on city council.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, he returned as leader of the city.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s quite emotional to be back,\u201d Farkas told Postmedia.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause this is really a who\u2019s who of Calgary. It\u2019s not just the old ranching families, it\u2019s also the current-day leaders, the leaders in business, volunteerism, and the not-for-profit sector.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

The Legacy Stampede Breakfast welcomes community, business and government guests for a morning of western hospitality at Heritage Park in Calgary on Sunday, July 5, 2026. Hosted by broadcaster Leslie Horton, the event featured live performances by the Calgary Fiddlers and Youth Singers of Calgary, along with a special appearance by the Grey Cup in Calgary.<\/p>\n

Considered the most prestigious Stampede breakfast in the city, the invite-only event has featured prominent Calgarians and Rotary Club volunteers, who brought back the seven-decade-long tradition Sunday, seven years after its discontinuation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt tells a story about our western roots and traditions, but also tells the story of the Calgary that we are today,\u201d Farkas added.<\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n

Now dubbed the Legacy Breakfast, the event held on to many of its predecessor\u2019s beloved traditions, which was started by former mayor and senator Harry Hays in 1950, and ran for nearly seven decades before the Hays family decided to call it quits.<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

Bagpipes welcome Wendy the cow in preparation for concocting the Trail Boss Tonic at the Legacy Stampede Breakfast at Heritage Park in Calgary on Sunday, July 5, 2026.<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

A man adjusts Wendy the cow\u2019s flower crown prior to her contribution to the Trail Boss Tonic at the Legacy Stampede Breakfast at Heritage Park in Calgary on Sunday, July 5, 2026.<\/p>\n

But many attendees greatly missed breakfast over the years, said event volunteer and president of CBI Business Solutions, Catherine Brownlee, in a recent interview.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was, for 69 years, the Stampede event that everybody wanted to be at,\u201d she said. \u201cIf you had an invitation to be able to attend, you felt blessed to be able to be there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

Aleta Visbach (left) explains the various ingredients that go into concocting the Trail Boss Tonic at the Legacy Stampede Breakfast at Heritage Park in Calgary on Sunday, July 5, 2026.<\/p>\n

Politicians, first responders, volunteers among attendees<\/p>\n

The event began with the national anthem, sung by Donna Nagera and the Sound of the Rockies. It was followed by a speech by Farkas, the ceremonial milking of a cow for a mystery concoction that the Hays family labels \u201cSyllabub,\u201d and an address by Premier Danielle Smith.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so glad that this event has been resurrected, and that we\u2019re going to be able to continue enjoying it for many more decades to come,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith addresses attendees of the Legacy Stampede Breakfast at Heritage Park in Calgary on Sunday, July 5, 2026.<\/p>\n

The event was attended by several politicians, including Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi, Minister of Advanced Education Myles McDougall and NDP MLA Kathleen Ganley.<\/p>\n

Military brass were honoured at the breakfast, while first responders and Flames and Stampeders players were also in attendance.<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

Members of the HMSC and Canadian Armed Forces pose for a photo at the Legacy Stampede Breakfast at Heritage Park in Calgary on Sunday, July 5, 2026.<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi speaks with attendees of the Legacy Stampede Breakfast at Heritage Park in Calgary on Sunday, July 5, 2026.<\/p>\n

It was Alan Ulsifer\u2019s first time there. Ulsifer, CEO of FYidoctors, said he felt \u201cprivileged\u201d to be invited.<\/p>\n

\u201cHadn\u2019t been to Heritage Park for a really long time, and I don\u2019t know why,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are lots of politicians and community leaders, so it\u2019s been fun driving around and talking to people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Paul Chave has lost count of how many times he\u2019s been to the Hays Breakfast.<\/p>\n

Chave, a Rotary Club volunteer, said it was wonderful to see the breakfast back in a modern iteration. \u201cIt\u2019s an event that, I think, really brings the community together,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m disappointed the prime minister hasn\u2019t shown up, but you know he\u2019s been here in years gone by.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

First Nations Princess Raegan First Rider (left) and Stampede Princess Sarah O\u2019Brien pose for a photo at the Legacy Stampede Breakfast at Heritage Park in Calgary on Sunday, July 5, 2026.<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

The Legacy Stampede Breakfast welcomes community, business and government guests for a morning of western hospitality at Heritage Park in Calgary on Sunday, July 5, 2026.<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

The Calgary Fiddlers perform at the Legacy Stampede Breakfast at Heritage Park in Calgary on Sunday, July 5, 2026.<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

The Legacy Stampede Breakfast welcomes community, business and government guests for a morning of western hospitality at Heritage Park in Calgary on Sunday, July 5, 2026.<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

The Legacy Stampede Breakfast welcomes community, business and government guests for a morning of western hospitality at Heritage Park in Calgary on Sunday, July 5, 2026.<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

The Old Roses serenade Legacy Stampede Breakfast attendees at Heritage Park in Calgary on Sunday, July 5, 2026.<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

The Legacy Stampede Breakfast welcomes community, business and government guests for a morning of western hospitality at Heritage Park in Calgary on Sunday, July 5, 2026. Hosted by broadcaster Leslie Horton, the event featured live performances by the Calgary Fiddlers and Youth Singers of Calgary, along with a special appearance by the Grey Cup in Calgary.<\/p>\n

Catch up with the day\u2019s headlines, curated by our editors and delivered to your email inbox at lunchtime on every business day. Sign up now for the Calgary Herald Noon News Roundup.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Mayor Jeromy Farkas recalled nervously working a crowd at the Hays Breakfast 10 years ago, handshaking his way…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":782491,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194293],"tags":[49,2798,48,276907,276910,109504,276909,276908],"class_list":["post-782490","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-calgary","tag-ca","tag-calgary","tag-canada","tag-harry-hays","tag-hays-family","tag-jeromy-farkas","tag-leslie-horton","tag-stampede-breakfast"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/782490","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=782490"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/782490\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/782491"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=782490"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=782490"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=782490"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}