With the Williams Lake Stampede fast approaching, the 22nd Annual Tsilhqot’in Horse and Bike Ride to the Stampede grounds will be taking place once again.
Dale Hance Chief of the Tl’etinqox First Nation said the first leg of the journey that runs June 22 to 27 will get begin tomorrow (Sunday) departing from Tl’etinqox travelling to the River Ranch.
Even though this is an updated version of the original trex, Hance remembers being a part of it when he was younger.
“We use to ride our horses and go in with team and wagon years ago before our people had cars. I remember that as a kid when you would go to the Stampede everybody would gather at the Stampede Grounds and camp out with their teams and wagons so we’re just doing this to keep our culture alive and going, keep it strong, and pass it onto our younger generation.”
Hance said they’ll be arriving in Williams Lake on on Friday June 27.
“We will be coming in as one from Tl’etinqox, Yunesit’in, Tl’esqox, Tsi Del Del and Xeni Gwet’in into the Stampede grounds on that day. We will also have other people from other communities joining in on this ride. The kids really look forward to this ride every year, they enjoy the Horse and Bike and get really involved, they enjoy camping out and connecting with other communities, it’s all about getting together and having fun,” Hance said.
Hance said as they get closer to Williams Lake our group gets larger, more people keep joining in as we go along so it’s probably going to be one of the biggest Horse and Bike Rides that we’ve had in the past 22 years.
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