The Western Chuckwagon Association (WCA) will unofficially kick off the chuckwagon season with its annual tarp sale at Maddhatters on Friday night.
A large number of drivers will be up for auction and new WCA President Derek Aebly invites everyone down to check it out. The Travis Fowler Band will provide the music. The sale begins at 6:30 p.m.
Come one come all, according to the rookie president.
It’s been a busy off-season for the local racing circuit, as they added new people and new things for the upcoming racing season.
New drivers will include Colin Lefly, Daniel King, Dayton Sutherland and Glen Myett.
Sutherland comes from the World Professional Chuckwagon Association (WPCA) and will race for this year. Anyone familiar with wagon racing is familiar with the Sutherland name.
Last season, the WCA raced at the Whitecourt Woodlands Rodeo in June but have gone a step further with the community approximately 280 kilometres south east of Grande Prairie.
The Woodlands is scheduled the weekend of June 21.
At the Grande Prairie Stompede, there will be a $15,000 dash for cash night and the keys to a new truck for the aggregate winner after four nights of racing.
It appears it’s a green light for the WCA to run outriders for the first time, starting at the event in the second week of June time slot. Last year, the event in that time slot was the Boots & Moccasins and before that it was Guitars and Wagons.
Aebly was asked why the WCA is adding outriders to the racing.
Having outriders isn’t a new concept. The idea has been kicked around before.
Whether outriders will be utilized at the remaining races remains to be seen as the president explains.