If you were there, you will remember that on July 12^th geoLOGIC turned Prince’s Island Park into a sensory delight. As the only Stampede celebration on the Island, we had the fantastic opportunity to work with the renowned River Café to present a Stampede party unlike any other. While the morning began looking as though rain might make an unwelcome appearance, my order to mother nature for sunshine was fulfilled at the very last minute, negating the necessity for the thousands of rain ponchos we brought just in case, but that didn’t stop some of our guests from donning them anyway!

We wanted to do something a little out of the ordinary since our guests are far from it, so in addition to the prime locale, we put together a menu we were sure wouldn’t be seen at any other Stampede party. The spread included spit roasted Spragg farm pulled pork sandwiches, smoked wild sockeye salmon flatbread; black eyed pea, bean and roasted heirloom tomato salad and Poplar Bluff organic potato and arugula salad.

We featured some great entertainment courtesy of Jory Kinjo and his band and made sure to pepper in some classic country to keep everyone line-dancing in their country duds. A good mix of classic and modern, country and city, the Spaghetti Western delivered.

With over 1300 guests through the gates, we are very excited that after a two year break the industry still remembers the geoLOGIC Spaghetti Western as a must attend event. We look forward to this celebration all year long as an opportunity to personally thank all those we work with in this industry, and our goal is to create an experience that our guests will not forget.

As our very first year at the River Café location, with a new menu and entertainment, the Spaghetti Western had a little different flavor this year. We have already begun planning for next year’s bash and want to make sure, in keeping with tradition, that the party is everything you hoped it would be. So I want to throw it out there and ask all of you who were there what you thought. What did you like, not like; what would you like to see next year?

On behalf of everyone here at geoLOGIC, I would like to extend a heartfelt thank-you to everyone who came out on July 12^th and helped us make this one of our most successful stampede events ever! We really couldn’t have done it without you!

I can’t wait to hear what you thought of the event, because like everything else at geoLOGIC we use your feedback directly to make things work better for you and this is no exception. So please, comment away!

So, what exactly is a Spaghetti Western, you may ask. Well – its 2 things, really. It’s an “Italo-Western” style of film that emerged in the 1960s, produced and directed by – you guessed it – Italians, hence the Spaghetti. Americans thought these films were unacceptable renditions of the traditional western film that dominated the industry at that time and derogatorily called them “Spaghetti Westerns” to discount them from the genre, but over time people grew to love them, and although the term “Spaghetti Western” has stuck, they are accepted as their very own genre. And party theme, but we’ll get to that.

Known for their production in the Italian language, low budgets and minimalist cinematography, Spaghetti Westerns emerged with Leon’s Dollars Trilogy (1964 – 67) – Including the titles “A Fistfull of Dollars”, “For a Few Dollars More”, and “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” – which even the most passive Spaghetti Western fan will be familiar with. You will also remember that the star of many of these films was the legend himself, Clint Eastwood.

Often picking up on the theme of the Mexican Revolution, the genre produced over six hundred films between 1960 and 1980 – set primarily in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and Mexico.

So enough about that. Time for the second definition of the Spaghetti Western. We love Spaghetti, western film, and we live in the “Heart of the New West” – Calgary, AB (Cowtown) – which also happens to be the home for The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth – The Calgary Stampede. Proudly boasting the world’s largest rodeo, not to mention a parade that the city shuts down for, an impressive midway, stage shows hosting some of the best in country and popular music, concerts, agricultural competitions, chuckwagon racing and First Nations exhibitions, the Calgary Stampede attracts over one million visitors per year. So by definition, there really couldn’t be anything better than a theme that incorporates all those things we love: food, music, the wild wild west, barrels of beer and a bevy of gorgeous cowboys and cowgirls – a real life “Spaghetti Western”! And you know what else that means….

Party time – in short. If you work in Calgary, your schedule between July 8th and17th will be jam packed with Stampede parties, some better than others. But you will need to know this – the best lunch-time Stampede party in the city of Calgary is being put on by yours truly, and we can’t wait.

This year we’ve really stepped it up a notch and moved our venue to the renowned River Cafe on the beautiful Prince’s Island park. As the only Stampede party on the island, geoLOGIC systems’ Spaghetti Western is the event to see and be seen at. With a fantastic menu, gorgeous setting and some great music, we are looking forward to kicking Stampede off in style – and with full stomachs. Themed “They Call Me Hungry”, after the 1970 “They Call Me Trinity” – starring Terence Hill (and who wouldn’t love anything starring Terence Hill – the Brad Pitt of the genre..) and Bud Spencer, we promise you won’t be, hungry that is, when you leave the park.

We held off on our party for a whole two years and promise to come back with a bang. I for one can’t wait for July 12th. Look for your invitation soon – and make sure to RSVP. Spots at this exclusive event are limited, and you wouldn’t want to miss the opportunity to experience a little bit of how it was, “Once Upon a Time in the West“.

Mini muffin tins transform cornbread into corndog lollypops. But why stop there? How about crab cake corndogs? How about thick pinwheels of cheddar-laden puff pastry or biscuit dough with a hotdog slice in the middle?

As for the dinky donuts, beer-flavoured ice cream, pulled pork parfaits, Frito pie and deep-fried everything, you’re on your own.
Click here for our inspiration.

Serve these little bites lollypop-style: poke a skewer in the side and serve with dishes of yellow mustard and ketchup for dipping. If you’re making corn bread from scratch, make sure to add brown sugar and some grainy mustard for a great crust. (See recipe at bottom to compare)

CORNDOG MINI MUFFINS
2 (8.5 ounce) packages cornbread mix
2 tablespoons brown sugar (we assume this is to make it as sweet as Jiffy)
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese, save some for tops
large size hot dogs, sliced into coins

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease muffin tins.
Stir together the cornbread mix and the brown sugar in a large bowl. Whisk the eggs and milk in a small bowl until smooth. Fold the eggs and cheese into the dry mixture until moistened. Spoon mixture into muffin tins until 2/3 full. Add 1 hot dog piece to each muffin. Top with grated cheese.
Bake in a preheated oven 14 to 18 minutes, or until golden brown.
Muffins can be frozen.

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CORN DOG BATTER
Good for one package of 8 sausages

1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
2 Tbsp grainy mustard
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sugar
1 egg
1 Tbsp melted butter
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the egg, butter, buttermilk, grainy mustard and baking soda. Mix until everything is smooth and well blended.

Dry the sausages well and put on a stick. Dip into the batter and fry until golden.