Every July, the city turns itself over to Stampede, a ten-day rodeo, concert, and agricultural fair that draws more than a million visitors. Championship rider Lindsay Sears, born just outside Calgary, has the lowdown on how to look, act, and eat like a cowboy

I compete in barrel racing, a women's event where your horse runs around three barrels in a cloverleaf pattern. It's the only horse-riding event, and these days we all ride race horses, so the difference between first and second has gotten to be hundredths of a second. Things happen—your horse can fall or you can hit a barrel—but it's addictive. It's also one of the most popular events because, like the announcers say, it's watching pretty girls and fast horses [calgarystampede.com; rodeo tickets, $23 and up]."

Grub
"Pancake breakfasts are held every day during Stampede, from as early as 6 a.m. Anyone can go to get free pancakes, bacon, coffee, and juice. The one at the Chinook Centre is huge, with entertainment [6455 Macleod Trail S.W.; 259-2022*; July 7, 2007]. They also serve pancakes in the parking areas, like an American tailgate. You have to have steak, too, in Alberta. The beef is especially good because the cattle graze free for most of their lives, then feed on prairie grain shortly before slaughter. My favorite place is Caesar's Steak House. You'll spend a little money, but it's worth it [512 Fourth Ave. S.W.; 264-1222; entrées, $23–$38]. Buzzards Cowboy Cuisine, downtown, has prairie oysters—bull testicles. I love them cooked right: breaded in crackers and fried in butter. You haven't eaten the true cowboy way till you've eaten prairie oysters [140 Tenth Ave. S.W.; 264-6959; entrées, $10–$21]. To wash it down there's always an official Stampede beer. But me, I go for rye—that's Canadian whiskey. Rye and Coke is my drink of choice."

Duds
"The Alberta Boot Company is in a warehouse downtown. My grandfather has worn their boots ever since I can remember. They're pricey, but there's a huge selection—over ten thousand pairs—and they'll custom-make boots from exotic leathers or from skins that you bring in [614 Tenth Ave. S.W.; 263-4605]."

Digs
"Rodeo people stay in these enormous horse trailers—mine is thirty-four feet long, with twenty feet of living space. If you're camping, reserve at least two weeks ahead. There are also lots of hotels, but with more than a million visitors, rooms sell out way before the spring thaw. One of the fanciest is the Hotel Arts, on the edge of downtown, which has a cool courtyard pool [266-4611; hotelarts.ca; doubles, $149–$259]. The Fairmont Palliser is really glamorous too [262-1234; fairmont.com; doubles, $128–$257]."

Fun
"I love to walk up and down 17th Avenue, near the Stampede grounds. There are tons of bars and restaurants with patios, plus bands playing on street corners [uptown17.ca]. For country music, there's a big huge tent on the Stampede grounds where they have stars as well as up-and-comers. Otherwise, the best bar is Ranchman's. It's also where you'll see contestants, wranglers, and Western-dressed people [9615 Macleod Trail S.; 253-1100]. Cowboys is a blast, with more of a metropolitan crowd. I love that since I see the other people all the time [826 Fifth St. S.W.; 265-0699]."