Military and Stampede

[Strike]

Posted with the usual caveats...

IDNUMBER      200807110086
PUBLICATION:  Calgary Herald
DATE:        2008.07.11
EDITION:      Final
SECTION:      Stampede Extra
PAGE:        B3
ILLUSTRATION: Photo: Grant Black, Calgary Herald / Michael Banks sweatsout five pushups with his five-year-old daughter, Annah, riding on top. He earned a sticker and bracelet from the Canadian Armed Forces as part of a recruitment campaign. ; Photo: Dan Finley ; 
KEYWORDS:    STAMPEDE; RODEO; CALGARY
BYLINE:      Daryl Slade
SOURCE:      Calgary Herald
WORD COUNT:    362

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Fairgrounds expansion adds smiles; More room for military, music and rural life

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It's just around the corner from its longtime base at the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede, but the Canadian military has a greater presence as a featured display on the new Saddledome Lane.

No longer cramped into a tight spot under the noisy plus-15 walkway area in front of the Calgary Flames' home arena, soldiers can display their tanks, vehicles and aircraft, and interact with the public more easily.

Saddledome Lane, located between the Saddledome and Agricultural Building on the northeast corner of the grounds, is part of the Stampede's initial phase of expansion.

"This is better to communicate, share stories and have a more hands-on interaction with Canadians," said Capt. Steve Charest, a 19-year military vet who twice went on tours to Yugoslavia in 1995.

The military now has seven tents, instead of four, and has a Leopard tank, Griffon helicopter, machine gun for a CF-18, a cockpit for a CF-18 that visitors can go into and see all the controls, a Coyote recognizance vehicle, a G-Wagon Jeep vehicle and several types of large ammunition.

On the south side of the lane members of the public can step into many facets of the agricultural world, inside and outside the agricultural complex.

There is musical entertainment at the west end, and heavy horse barns at the east end of the lane for a different aspect of rural life, including hitching demonstrations.

"We've created a new public space that was once back of house space," Stampede programming manager Dan Finley said of the 30,000 square-foot area. "It changes every day, but the military and agriculture are always staples.

"We feel very good about interactions of urban with rural life, showing how it works."

Kids interaction and displays are prominent along the laneway, particularly aimed at teaching them about agriculturalism, said Finley, noting there is a peddle tractor pull and team penning area in which youngsters can participate.

Youngsters can also try on military gear, to get an idea and greater appreciation of what a soldier has to wear while stationed in combat or peacekeeping missions overseas.

Charest said most of the public understands the situation the Canadian military is in, particularly with regards to Afghanistan, and can separate the political side from the soldiers' duties.

"Alberta is one of the better places in support of us. They like the military and are very supportive," said Charest. "By us being here and showing what we're about, they can put faces to names."

dslade@theherald.canwest.com

 

[The Bread Guy]

Note to reporter:  It's reconnaissance, not recognizance, buddy, unless you mean the vehicle's been posted as a bond...

 

[stegner]

Note to reporter:  It's reconnaissance, not recognizance, buddy, unless you mean the vehicle's been posted as a bond...

Too funny

 

[TrexLink]

Yep, it's funny to us, but this goes to show what I have been maintaining for a while - the average reporter is 1) woefully ignorant of things military and naval and 2) willing to give us some good press if they get a chance.

This also goes to show that anybody running or participating in such displays or events should take the time to put together a one-page press handout giving details of what's on hand.  This emphatically does not need a PAffO to put together, although PAff assistance would be useful.

 

[The Bread Guy]

This also goes to show that anybody running or participating in such displays or events should take the time to put together a one-page press handout giving details of what's on hand.  This emphatically does not need a PAffO to put together, although PAff assistance would be useful.

There already is stuff on the 'net ready to print, copy and distribute:
Coyote
http://www.skyhawks.forces.gc.ca/lf/English/2_display.asp?product=56&more=56

G-Wagon
http://www.army.forces.gc.ca/lf/English/2_display.asp?product=138&more=138

Griffon
http://www.army.forces.gc.ca/lf/English/2_display.asp?product=139&more=139

You get the idea....

From the scale of the display and the size of the expected crowds, I'd be shocked if handouts were not in stock.  The other part of the equation, though, is that even if you have handouts at a public display, you have to consider the following:
1)  does the recipient (reporter, general public, whatever) take one?
2)  does the recipient keep it, or throw it away?
3)  does the recipient read it? and
4)  how much information does the recipient retain?

A bit of an experiment - after doing a public booth or display where you hand out pamphlets or brochures, do a quick "trash can audit" by walking by garbage cans to see how much of your material is in there.  There may be none, there may be lots, but you'll get at least a bit of int re:  what people hang on to.

 

[Blackadder1916]

Before we all trash yet another reporter for being stupid because he knows nothing or doesn't care enough about the military to get some simple facts right about the name of a vehicle, perhaps the simple solution would be a polite letter to the editor (or the said reporter) of the Calgary Herald to point out his errors.  Besides the Coyote, a G-Wagon is not a Jeep - a Jeep is a Jeep (if you spent the money to buy a Mercedes-Benz you want your neighbours to be jealous, not saying that you bought a Chrysler).  A google of the reporter's name brings up news stories that deal predominantly with criminal court cases, so he may have been a little off his normal beat.  However, the story is not about the military (that is only incidental), it is about the Stampede grounds.  Just happens that the military display is a popular attraction these days.

Perhaps the lesson is that when reporters are around special attention needs be made to get the message across including correct nomenclature of equipment.  Incidentally, I deliberately misspelled "reconnaissance" (in Word), guess what came up as a suggestion - recognizance.  That's what bugs me more about reporters today, they seem to depend on spell check instead of education.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Before we all trash yet another reporter for being stupid because he knows nothing or doesn't care enough about the military to get some simple facts right about the name of a vehicle, perhaps the simple solution would be a polite letter to the editor (or the said reporter) of the Calgary Herald to point out his errors. 

Good point - agreed.

A google of the reporter's name brings up news stories that deal predominantly with criminal court cases, so he may have been a little off his normal beat. 

That may be true, but it's the responsibility of any journalist doing any story to get facts right.

However, the story is not about the military (that is only incidental), it is about the Stampede grounds.  Just happens that the military display is a popular attraction these days.

Disagree here - note the lead paragraph:

"It's just around the corner from its longtime base at the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede, but the Canadian military has a greater presence as a featured display on the new Saddledome Lane."

Perhaps the lesson is that when reporters are around special attention needs be made to get the message across including correct nomenclature of equipment. 

Excellent point - the article includes one quote from a military person, so it shows the reporter did speak to someone green.  I'm guessing this is why more troops are getting (and should be getting) media training to get this sort of stuff across - communications is everyone's responsibility.

Incidentally, I deliberately misspelled "reconnaissance" (in Word), guess what came up as a suggestion - recognizance.  That's what bugs me more about reporters today, they seem to depend on spell check instead of education.

THAT's an interesting tidbit - and I have to agree with the bolded part (and not just with reporters, either).

 

[PMedMoe]

I once saw in a newspaper article that CMBG stood for Canadian Multicultural Brigade Group.  Maybe that's the politically correct term? 

 

[dimsum]

Strange...HMCS CALGARY (in their white stetsons) and HMCS TECUMSEH aren't setting up booths this time around?  Too much partying the last few years  ???

 

[King Elessar]

Strange...HMCS CALGARY (in their white stetsons) and HMCS TECUMSEH aren't setting up booths this time around?  Too much partying the last few years   ???

"come and see the HMCS Calgary at the Calgary Stampede!"

"How did you get it to the Stampede?"

"wasn't easy..."

;D

 

[Blackadder1916]

Disagree here - note the lead paragraph:

"It's just around the corner from its longtime base at the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede, but the Canadian military has a greater presence as a featured display on the new Saddledome Lane."

I might concede that point if this article was taken as a stand-alone, but it is just one article in a special section of the paper.

SECTION:      Stampede Extra

KEYWORDS:    STAMPEDE; RODEO; CALGARY

Some of the other articles in that section are:

Flapjack flipper batters record
Telus Shindig boosts Mustard Seed coffers
Free Grub
Agri-business deals abound at Stampede
Tags help lost kids
Tummy turners keep medical crews busy

While these may be perfectly valid stories about food, philanthrophy, business, technology aiding parenting and emergency medical services they all have a common thread, to tell the story about this year's Calgary Stampede (YAHOO!).  And judging from the bylines, all the editorial staff of the Herald (regardless of their normal focus) are down at the Stampede grounds wearing jeans, cowboy boots and shirts that look stupid the rest of the year, probably with orders to get feel-good material to fill out the Stampede section.  Though it does not excuse the reporter from doing proper research, he probably thought that it was a fluff piece.

 

[GGboy]

While I have to agree that this is one of the funniest mistakes I've seen in a while (and I'm wondering what the judge would value a Coyote at if I put one up for bail), I'd urge whomever responds to this to send a polite note to the reporter: bearing in mind that the mistake might have been edited in by someone on the desk.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Though it does not excuse the reporter from doing proper research, he probably thought that it was a fluff piece.

Seen in the context of being part of blanket coverage, good point.

the mistake might have been edited in by someone on the desk.

That's possible, too - which means someone with even MORE experience, someone who's job it is to make sure obvious mistakes don't  doesn't get the difference.  That scares me even more.

 

[SeaKingTacco]

Strange...HMCS CALGARY (in their white stetsons) and HMCS TECUMSEH aren't setting up booths this time around?  Too much partying the last few years 

Probably because HMCS CALGARY is on Ops right now in the Gulf.

 

[DONT_PANIC]

Strange...HMCS CALGARY (in their white stetsons) and HMCS TECUMSEH aren't setting up booths this time around?  Too much partying the last few years   ???

As far as I know, Tecumsehis going to be there. At least when the public affairs officer for the unit asked if I wanted to help at stampede, this was what she was talking about.