The Goat Stampede

You all know that I was born and raised in fabulous Calgary, Alberta– right? Yes! The Calgary, Alberta: Host of the 1988 Winter Olympic Games! Canadian Capital of Urban Sprawl! Home of the infamous Calgary Stampede: yee-effin’-ha!

Lest I ever pine for the city of my youth, Victoria has its fair share of Stampede-like events, too. Remember the Oak Bay Tea Party? Just like the Stampede, except with fewer hay bales and fewer banks pretending to be wild west saloons. (And by ‘fewer,’ I mean ‘none.’) And then there is the Beacon Hill Park Goat Stampede, which gloriously takes place an incredible two times a day, to the delight and entertainment of petting zoo visitors everywhere! (And by ‘everywhere,’ I mean ‘in Beacon Hill Park.’)

Amazingly, I had never even heard of the Goat Stampede until our niece came to visit us a week and some ago. Apparently, though, this Goat Stampede is a big deal for local families and makes for great, wholesome fun on a weekday morning.

The Goat Stampede plays out like this:

1. Petting zoo opens and families rush into the park.

2. Families form a ‘human fence’ along a stretch of petting zoo property.

3. Petting zoo volunteer tells people to clap, make noise, and otherwise herd a bunch of stampeding goats into a pen.

4. Dozens of goats are released from a barn near the top of the park, and then they ‘stampede’ down to their petting zoo pen at the bottom of the park.

5. Merriment ensues!!

(I’m sure the first Goat Stampede was a total accident, in which a careless volunteer mistakenly let the goats out of the barn, but the visitors were like “Yay! Goats!”, and their clapping and noise-making inadvertently moved the goats where they needed to go anyway. Now it is a cherished Beacon Hill Park tradition that plays out twice daily with very low risks to small children. The stampeding goats are not really ‘stampeding,’ per se– or even ‘goats,’ per se. It’s more like pygmy goats trotting along in docile confusion and being lured with straw into a pen where they can be brushed and patted by kids.)

Anyway.

My mom, aunt, grandma, and I took Lily down to the park to see the Goat Stampede during her brief visit to Victoria. She thought the stampeding part of the Goat Stampede was just okay, but she sure enjoyed herself once the goats got into their petting pen.

Rule #1 at the Beacon Hill Park Petting Zoo is this:

Alas, most of the visitors to the petting zoo are under five years old and thus can’t read the rule. (I didn’t find a Rule #2– there was just the one). Immediately upon entering the pen, Lily proceeded to do this:

We, "The Adults", proceeded to take a few photos of this serious infraction of Rule #1 before informing Lily that she should put the goat down. Note the pink tutu. A perfect gift from Auntie Dana and Uncle Marty.

There was one goat in particular– Gemma– that Lily just loved. This goat gave kisses and spent a good five or ten minutes snuggling up to Lily’s face.

Then another baby goat got jealous of Gemma and tried to jump on Lily’s head to vie for her affections.

But there was enough love to go around! ALL BABY GOATS WON IN THE END!

The Goat Stampede (and the accompanying petting zoo) was actually pretty fun. Sure, I might have felt differently about being there if I didn’t have a three-year old in tow to justify my presence. But by my scientific calculations, Goat Stampede > Oak Bay Tea Party– By. Far. So if you are a Calgarian expat (or not) and are looking for a family-friendly, Stampede-like event in Victoria but can only choose one out of the Tea Party and the Goat Stampede, the choice is obvious. Goat Stampede Forever!!

Unrelated to the Goat Stampede. But doesn't this shot look like a paparazzi photo of Suri Cruise? It's my niece!