The Town of Raymond, Alberta is throwing a week-long party to mark 125 years since its founding, with events running from June 27 to July 1, 2026. The Heritage Days celebration will bring back favourite community traditions alongside a few new ones, all building toward a Canada Day fair and fireworks show. A mix of sports, food, and western culture is on the schedule, anchored by the town’s historic stampede rodeo, which first ran in 1902 and remains one of Canada’s longest-running rodeo traditions.
Things get moving early on Saturday morning with the annual Harlan Taylor Run at 7:30 a.m., named for a longtime local doctor. A pancake breakfast put on by the chamber follows, and then the Raymond Ball Diamonds host a family softball tournament through the day. Throughout the weekend, Victoria Sports Park opens for more community games, and a talent contest gives residents a chance to take the stage. The rodeo action takes over the Raymond Rodeo Grounds on Monday and Tuesday, June 29 and 30, before the big finish on Canada Day.
July 1 is the busiest day, packing the midway, live music, an artisan market, and of course, the final go-round of the stampede, a tradition that traces its roots to Raymond Knight, the founder’s son. Knight organized the original rodeo in 1902, the year after his father, Jesse Knight, established the town. In 1901, Knight, a Utah industrialist, launched a sugar beet factory that drew over 1,500 settlers quickly. Today, about 4,600 people call Raymond home.
Throughout the week, organizers ask residents to check the Town of Raymond website for registration details on events like the run and the softball tournament. The full schedule and updates are at raymond.ca/heritagedays. As Alberta’s first net-zero solar-powered community since 2019, the town is using the milestone to showcase both its history and its forward-looking spirit, promising a Heritage Days that connects neighbours old and new.
