Stampede spins wheel on Cowboys casino alliance - Calgary Herald

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Buxom women slinging suds and pouring shots while swaying to country music.

Got your attention? The Calgary Stampede must hope so given the agreement it announced on Friday.

The folks behind Cowboys -the former downtown nightclub with a reputation that's both famous and infamous -have signed a management contract to oversee the food, beverage and entertainment areas within Stampede

Casino.

Actually, once the necessary approvals are secured, it will be called Cowboys Casino and represent a resurrection of sorts for a brand that's lured thousands of frisky revellers over the years, including Britain's Prince Harry.

It's a shrewd move. Cowboys was like a ship without a port since its most recent location near Victoria Park met with a wrecking ball to make way for an underpass last year.

Partnering with the Calgary Stampede, it's found a home with one of the oldest, most respected and influential organizations in the city.

For the Stampede, it's a chance to regularly fill the casino -where it will maintain control over the gaming -with the crowds attracted to Cowboys Dance Hall, which will occupy the building's current Big Sky Showroom.

It's a tough casino market and there's no doubt Cowboys' patriarch Paul Vickers will entice patrons on a year-round basis.

After all, Cowboys was one of Canada's most famous nightclubs, and Vickers also has plans to introduce a Zen 8 restaurant and a sports bar in the building under the banner of his Penny Lane Entertainment Group.

Indeed, it's an arrangement that promises to be a prosperous one for both parties.

But a busy casino floor is unlikely to be the only measure of this agreement's success. The area response -and that of Calgarians in general -will also be key.

This is a marriage that will surprise more than a few people, kind of like when the girl next door goes out with that boy her parents warned her about.

In fact, Ald. Druh Farrell responded to the news by saying it was "surprising . . . (to her) that the Stampede would want to be associated with that brand."

She's unlikely to be the only Calgarian scratching her head.

The Calgary Stampede proudly highlights on its website that it "preserves and promotes western heritage and values."

Cowboys Dance Hall promises "the most fun you can have with your boots on" and considers itself to be the originator of "where playboy meets country."

Can you spot the difference? And asked if patrons would still see the shooter and tub "girls" Cowboys once featured, Vickers said: "They're going to see the most beautiful girls in the world in this building -I guarantee it."

This may be a salivating prospect for its fans, but I doubt it's the kind of remark all Stampede loyalists will find endearing.

The Stampede will also want to ensure this new arrangement doesn't rattle the surrounding area with noise, rowdies or other trouble.

To that end, Warren Connell, the Stampede's vice-president of park development, said they understand the community concerns that existed when the club operated in the area before.



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