Plans are underway for a new Western Event Centre to serve both the community of Strathmore and Wheatland County. The hope is that by 2023 the facility will be completed, just in time for the 50th anniversary of the Strathmore and District Agricultural Society.

Ryan Schmidt GM of the Strathmore and District Agricultural Society explains, “We've been working hard on the new Western Event Center for Strathmore in Wheatland County and progress is going well.”

In order to construct the facility, there are a number of steps that must be taken first. There is an advisory committee made up of representatives from several western disciplines.

“The idea is to design this arena so that we know it can be sustainable. It's got to be a flexible enough facility that it can accommodate a broad variety of events and that will ensure that it's fully booked all the time and able to pay its own bills.,” said Schmidt.

He said they are now in the planning phase of the project where they are developing the design. Afterward, they will look at getting a cost estimate and permitting later this year.

The proposed location for the facility will be northeast of the town in Wheatland County on land owned by the agricultural society.

“I say it's the proposed location because obviously with the permitting process we also have to consult with neighbours to make sure that they're OK with the way it's been set up,” he said.

The event centre will have an indoor arena with seating for about 2000 people. It will include concession stands and have a warm-up area. It will have an attached barn with stalls for different equine events, and pens for cattle events. It will also have trailer parking, and camping available for overnight guests at the events.

“It's really going to be a first-class facility able to accommodate local groups such as 4H, but also large cutting, reining, and barrel racing events,” he said. “We're going to be attracting a lot of people to the region as well, and we hope that it'll be a big contributor to the local economy too.”

The plan is to have the facility shovel ready in 2021 if all goes well.

READ MORE: Hosting Western Events All Year Long