Country music legend and parade marshal Ian Tyson waves to the crowd during the Calgary Stampede parade in Calgary, Friday, July 6, 2012. The parade featured 700 horses, 26 marching bands and 12 street sweeping trucks to clean horse droppings. This is the 100th anniversary of the Stampede which runs for 10 days featuring rodeo action, chuckwagon races, a midway, agricultural exhibits and live stock competitions. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
July 06, 2012 - 11:14 AM
CALGARY - Hundreds of thousands of people have lined the streets of Calgary to watch the parade that kicks off the Stampede's centennial celebrations.
Marching bands, floats and hundreds of horses are part of the four-kilometre-long parade wending its way through the downtown.
The parade marshal this year is country crooner Ian Tyson.
Bob Johnson, vice-chairman of the Stampede, says the event is a great equalizer — people from all walks of life and from around the world trade in their usual attire for cowboy hats, boots and jeans.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper kicked off festivities by congratulating the "Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth" as it celebrates its 100th anniversary.
More than one million people attend the Calgary Stampede each year.
The celebration of cowboy life runs until July 15.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2012