News Releases

CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwire - July 13, 2011) -

Editors Note: There are three photos associated with this press release.

The Calgary Stampede and BMO Bank of Montreal hosted the annual BMO Kids' Day events on Wednesday, including a free pancake breakfast. Winners of the BMO Kids' Day Junior Reporter contest this year, 11 year-old Jorden Raychaudhuri from Springback, Alta., and 12-year old Austin Smith from Blackie, Alta., were on hand to tell the latest and greatest stories from the day's events.

Jorden and Austin have each won a $2000 BMO Intuition RESP, rodeo and grandstand tickets, a western outfit, and midway ride coupons. For the second year, each junior reporter's school - Springbank Middle School and Senator Riley School in High River - received a $1000 gift from BMO for supplies. The biggest prize of all for the youngsters is reporting live from BMO Kids' Day.

"Our annual BMO Kids' Day was again a huge success. It was great to see so many young, smiling faces early in the day at our pancake breakfast, and throughout the day, taking in all the free entertainment," said Robert Hayes, senior vice-president, Prairies District, BMO Bank of Montreal. "BMO Kids' Day is a great opportunity for us to interact with the families at the Stampede. BMO is proud to have been part of this iconic Canadian event for nearly a century."

A recent BMO survey conducted by Leger Marketing confirmed that the Stampede truly is a family-fun event – those with children under 18 at home were more likely to visit the Calgary Stampede in the next five years than those with no children (55 per cent vs. 39 per cent). Not surprisingly, Albertans, at 62 per cent, are more likely than most other regions to say they would like to attend the Stampede.

This year's BMO Kids' Zone featured a life size board game, Loonies and Lasso's. The game quizzes participants, in a fun way, on money management.

Parenting expert Alyson Schafer was on hand at the BMO Kids' Zone to discuss BMO SmartSteps for Parents, an online tool for parents to help teach children how to make money make sense from an early age.

Other highlights from the day included:

• Body-bending performances by Freestyle Soccer
• Live shows by Splash N' Boots at the BUCKAROOS Stage
• A performance of My Little Pony at the Coca Cola stage

The BMO survey was completed on-line from June 27 to 30, 2011, using Leger Marketing's online panel, LegerWeb. A sample of 1576 Canadians, 18 years of age or older were surveyed with a margin of error of +/-2.5 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

About BMO's Sponsorship of the Calgary Stampede

BMO is the official bank of the Calgary Stampede since the first Stampede in 1912 and has been a sponsor for 31 years. This year, BMO will host family-fun events such as the BMO Farm Family Awards, BMO Kids' Day and the 10-day BMO Kids' Zone. The partnership includes the title sponsorships of the Farm Family Awards, honouring the contribution of those working in the agriculture industry, and BMO Kids' Day on July 13, which welcomes more than 25,000 people annually for a free pancake breakfast and plenty of fun family entertainment. BMO Centre in Stampede Park is one of the largest consumer/trade show facilities in Western Canada, and was awarded the Consumer's Choice Award as the city's favourite banquet and reception hall.

The Calgary Stampede is a volunteer-supported, not-for-profit community organization that preserves and promotes western heritage and values. The Stampede contributes to the quality of life in Calgary and southern Alberta through its world-renowned 10-day Stampede, year-round facilities, western events and several youth and agriculture programs. All revenue is reinvested into Calgary Stampede programs and facilities. For more about the Stampede, visit www.calgarystampede.com.

To view the photos associated with this press release, please visit the following links:

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