I would love to post some photos, but I’m sure they would be in bad taste and well, the internet might just “blow-up”.
Perhaps you haven’t been privy to the wild world of the Regina Exhibition Association in decades past. You should stop at the display of history during the Queen City Ex. The committee that looks after the artifacts, photos and stories have done a great job of keeping the history of our Provincial Exhibition.
I was probably twenty-four or twenty-five when I became a member of the Rowdy Gang. We were one of the many off grounds committees that kept the spirit of the Buffalo Days humming. There was the Costume Committee, the Beard Derby, the Parade Committee, Pile O Bones Sunday. Pete’s Posse and Pemmican Pearl were part of the entertainment portion that happened not only away from the grounds but on grounds during the fashion show in the Saskatchewan Building. Groups of people dressed in Western apparel could be seen all over Regina! Downtown businesses and malls were decorated with bales, fences, cream cans and window paintings depicting our prairie heritage.
There were many early mornings and late nights as the Rowdy Gang, the Costume Committee, Pete and Pearl and the Posse rolled in and out of bars, nursing homes, malls, the exhibition grounds and just about everywhere in between.
We not only did parades, we were invited to many social occasions, handcuffing people along the way, taking them from their places of work and on a joy ride! We were known to have air pistols and starter guns that we carried on our hip. With flashing hats, badges and other exciting props, who wouldn’t want to be snagged by the Rowdy Gang for an afternoon of fun!
The Gang travelled well, to Moose Jaw, Minot and numerous points between, including the 1989 Grey Cup in Toronto!
There were shots of tequila, ice tea and vodka, our signature drink! Dancing and making memories everywhere we could. And in the morning, prairie burritos or steak & eggs with a salted rim caesar!
The leather vests, boots and for some, chaps, creaked as we walked, there was a jangle of spurs and the smell of powder from those starter pistols. The flashing star on our hats that were weighed down by pins and badges that were border line just wrong to wear!
We drove an old milk truck that was the envy of any old Chop Shop. The blowtorch cut it down and we built it up to include seating and much later a tarp was put on. But in those original days it was son of a gun hot! It was hand painted to reflect our individual personalities. We had a drawbridge style tail gate that could have served as a diving board! When it was hot we took breaks under an overpass and sat road side. A time or two, it was also a time out to air any grievances there might have been!
Oh, the gang was filled with personality! And those memories are very vivid.
We can’t turn back time, but it is good to think about the things that happened. And know that those antics would NEVER be allowed to take place again. Those that were part of the early days, relish in the wonder that was the wildness of Buffalo Days!
