Calgary-area rural communities offer residents a quiet retreat from the hustle and bustle of the city

As a former farm kid, four-time Canadian bareback champion, and former Calgary Stampede rodeo and chuckwagon manager, Robin Burwash has spent almost every day of his life enjoying the rural-lifestyle dream he now sells as a REALTOR®.

When he talks of finding space and relaxation amidst the trees and hills of acreage properties around Calgary, it comes from personal experiences.

Burwash spent 16 years as a professional bareback rider, and grew up on a farm that eventually became part of the city, not far off of Country Hills Boulevard.

During the years he spent working in Calgary with the Stampede, the best moment of his 45-minute commute to his Black Diamond acreage, he says, was crossing the city limits and entering the wide-open space of the country.

Calgary Municipal Land Corp. and Calgary Stampede team up on Stampede Park

Already responsible for reshaping Calgary's blighted East Village into one of the city's most transformative neighbourhoods, Calgary Municipal Land Corp. (CMLC) is now teaming up with the Calgary Stampede to help energize plans for a "grander" Stampede Park.

Neighbours since CMLC began redeveloping the once-blighted east end, a newly signed memorandum of understanding will see the two companies collaborate on the advancement of Stampede Park's master plan, including the redevelopment the languishing Victoria Park neighbourhood.

"It is a natural partnership," said CMLC vice-president Susan Veres. "CMLC has a specialty in development and they have a specialty in operating a world-class venue and event, so why not help them (Stampede) with the realization of their master plan since [our] master plan is in full swing?"

Will mega-project CalgaryNEXT be the anchor institution that breathes new life into the local landscape?

Urban planning enthusiasts call them anchor institutions – those landmark buildings in which cities are built around.

In Calgary, they dot our landscape: from the University of Calgary and Foothills Medical Centre in the northwest to Stampede Park and the Calgary Tower in the southwest — even the up-and-coming Seton mixed-use district in the southeast.

Calgary would be a very different — even lesser — place without them, says Colin Jackson, member of the senate at the University of Calgary and also chair of several arts and culture initiatives.

"A good way to think of them as anchor institutions is that they set the tone or give a feel to a neighbourhood," said Jackson, who has spoken on the subject in the past.

Could the CalgaryNEXT mega-project be next?

Doors Open YYC making stops at F&D Scene Changes and Calgary Stampede

A 30-year-old business that transforms dreams into reality and a century-old fixture on Calgary's landscape are just two of the expected bright spots at Doors Open YYC later this month.

F&D Scene Changes and the Calgary Stampede grounds will be among more than three dozen sites featured in this year's local program, scheduled for Sept. 27-28.

F&D is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, having designed, fabricated and installed its products for theatre, television, movies, theme parks, museums and trade shows.

This year's Homes by Avi Stampede Rotary Dream Home takes on urban eateries and foodie fanatics

While kicking up their heels and tasting the latest deep fried treats, visitors to the Calgary Stampede also have a chance to win the home of their dreams while supporting a good cause.

In its 19th year, the Homes by Avi Stampede Rotary Dream Home is the major funding initiative for the Rotary Club of Calgary South.

Calgary's Bill Siebens has presented the Calgary Stampede Foundation with more than 3,000 hectares of the southern portion of the historic OH Ranch in southwestern Alberta.

The rancher, businessman and philanthropist's gift also includes the OH brand and the 1885 ranch house, cookhouse and replica Northwest Mounted Police cabin for a total value of more than $11 million.