A Calgary cowboy has taken the reins as event producer for the 2025 Cloverdale Rodeo and Country Fair.
A second-generation rodeo cowpoke, Kynan Vine will endeavour to lasso the interest of die-hard wranglers and rodeo fans down to the country fair-goers with only a passing interest in the sport, and everyone in between.
Vine, who grew up in the rodeo industry, was in town last week for the 2025 Cloverdale Rodeo launch party. He said he was both "honoured and humbled" when asked to produce B.C.’s biggest rodeo.
"The Cloverdale Rodeo—when you mention it to a cowboy in Fort Worth Texas or Williams Lake or anywhere in between—they know what it is; it’s a big deal in the industry,” Vine said. “So, for me growing up, being a [rodeo] competitor and a bull rider, it was always a goal of mine to be here competing at the Cloverdale Rodeo.”
He said the rodeo remains "iconic" and is still on the radar of many up-and-coming cowboys and cowgirls. He said its' a goal for many to be competing in the Stetson Bowl.
“They want to make it here," he added. "They want that invite."
Vine has produced the Calgary Stampede in previous years—and countless rodeos across the U.S. and Canada—and he also produced the opening ceremonies for the 2024 Major League Baseball All-Star Game held at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
He said he'll use his entertainment knowledge that both encapsulates rodeo and transcends it to bring an exciting product to the people of Cloverdale, Surrey, and the Lower Mainland.
“For me, it's a two-prong approach,” he explained. “And I look at it maybe a little bit differently than a lot of the people that have come up through the industry or have been running rodeos in the traditional way for 40 years or more, but I like to shake it up a bit. I like to try to add in elements of entertainment and country music and different things like that give our audience a bit of a different feel."
Vine said some people that run rodeos do the same thing year-to-year, and he cautioned there's nothing wrong with that, but he said he likes to bring a fresh approach and look at the traditional aspects of rodeo in new ways.
“I like to integrate the traditional elements with as much innovation as we can with our video and our audio and all that kind of stuff,” he added. “We're going to give them some entertainment and make them want to come back for more."
The 77th Cloverdale Rodeo and the 134th Country Fair will be held May 16-19 (May long weekend, also known as Rodeo Weekend, locally) on the Cloverdale Fairgrounds.
For more info on the rodeo or country fair, visit cloverdalerodeo.com.
Early Bird tickets are now on sale until March 31 and can be found by visiting cloverdalerodeo.com.
