RCMP Musical Ride coming to Virden

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This article was published 12/07/2023 (905 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In just a few weeks, Virden will be hosting the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Musical Ride, while helping to celebrate 150 years of the Mounties.

There is already a buzz of excitement within the community, with hundreds of spectators expected to fill the Virden Ag Society Fairgrounds on July 25, according to Jillian Irvine, a member of the Virden Community Chamber of Commerce.

“Oh, everybody is really excited,” said Irvine. “Obviously, it’s amazing show and with it being the 150th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, that brings an extra layer of anticipation and excitement.”

The Musical Ride has up to 32 police officers in Red Serge dress uniform riding their horses, performing many drills and formations, all in sync and set to music.

Riders only perform the show in 50 communities across the country between May and October, travelling to each province every four years “to ensure as many Canadians as possible can experience this spectacle,” according to the RCMP website.

Virden is the 35th of 57 Musical Ride performances scheduled for 2023, with a previous stop in Regina and three days later, a show at Assiniboia Downs in Winnipeg.

But it’s the first time since 2016 that Virden will host the ride, says Virden chamber president Carla McLean.

“We are so honoured to be hosting the Musical Ride once again. Seeing our community coming together to enjoy such an amazing spectacle makes us proud,” said McLean.

The RCMP began as the North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) in 1873, which was 150 years ago, when most of the members patrolled the Prairies on horseback.

Riding drills were part of officer training, so members mixed up the monotony by competing against each other and performing tricks on horseback, according to the RCMP website.

In 1874, when the NWMP had about 300 members, a permanent post was established at Fort Macleod, Alta. Two years later, in 1876, the tricks and exercises were performed by the mounted troop at the fort for the very first time.

With the popularity of the organized ride, a riding school was built in Regina, which was also the training site for all officers, but it burned down in the winter of 1887.

By the time the riding school was rebuilt, all key personnel who had been involved in the ride had been transferred or had left the force.

There is no record of another Musical Ride until 14 years later, when one was held in Brandon in 1901.

Besides Manitoba, the Musical Ride celebrating the RCMP’s 150th anniversary, has stops in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.

Plans have been underway in Virden for months as they prepare to host the ride at the Virden Ag Society Fairgrounds on July 25, said Irvine.

“It’s a bleacher-style venue with rush seating, so, we’re encouraging everyone to bring their own lawn chair just in case there’s overflow. We are expecting around 500 people, I would say,” Irvine said.

Gates open at 5 p.m., entertainment starts at 5:30 p.m., and the ride is expected to begin at 7 p.m.

Admission for the show is $15, with those aged five and under allowed in free. Tickets are available at Virden Hi-way Grocery and Flower Attic & Gifts in Virden or online showpass.com/rcmp-musical-ride-virden/

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