When Jack Daines looks out over his sprawling ranch just north of Innisfail, the rolling hills and green pastures stretch as far as the eye can see.
“This is heaven to me,” says Daines, born and raised in the central Alberta town he still calls home. “Alberta’s heaven. If heaven is as good as Alberta, I want to go there.”
Even if you’ve never met Daines – and if you have, you’ll never forget him – you’ve probably heard his raspy voice on the radio promoting cattle and horse sales at his Innisfail Auction Market. Or you’ve heard him call the action as public address announcer at rodeos all over Alberta. His voice is so distinct that radio stations have contests asking people for their best Jack Daines impression.
“I get a kick out of it,” Daines laughed. “They say there’s a guy who runs a grader north of Camrose who can talk like Jack Daines better than I can.”
Daines figures he actually damaged his voice box thanks to years of auctioneering. “I used to sell eight hours at a shot and I probably wore it out,” he admitted. “It’s a western voice. Nobody has one like it.” That’s for sure. And there’s no one like Jack Daines.
Daines first started announcing rodeos while he was still a saddle bronc competitor in his early 20s. “I had a good PA system and I think that’s why I was first hired. I would bring the system, announce the rodeo, and in the intermission I’d run my buckin’ horse in. One time I won the bronc ridin’ at the Olds Rodeo and got paid for announcing. It worked pretty good.”
In 1961, a 25-year-old Daines – already a two-time Canadian novice champion – decided to put on his own professional rodeo right on his picturesque ranch. The first year he organized, promoted, announced and competed in the rodeo. “Colonel Blue was the horse I had drawn in the first rodeo,” remembered Daines of his third place ride. “I should’ve won first on that horse but I didn’t ride him as good as I could have. I was just so busy working putting the rodeo on.”
The Innisfail event, which just celebrated its 50th year, has grown into one of the premiere stops on the Canadian pro circuit, attracting the world’s top cowboys. “There’s very few pro rodeos you go to anymore where there’s a lot of tradition,” said veteran tie-down roper Mark Nugent of nearby Water Valley. “This is one of the true, real old-time rodeos. There’s two other big rodeos up here the following week that guys are skipping to make sure they can come here. It’s a good deal.”
The setting at the Daines Rodeo Ranch is nothing short of spectacular, complete with a permanent rodeo ring, bucking chutes, livestock pens, grandstands and beer gardens. Heck, a rodeo ticket even gets you free camping right on the grounds.
“It’s like having your own Yankee Stadium right here in Innisfail,” pointed out Franklin Daines, Jack’s younger brother. “This is Jack’s dream. He’s put his business and all of that on the line for this rodeo.”
Jack admits it takes a lot of work – sometimes too much – to put the rodeo on. He does everything from rounding up sponsors to lining up competitors. The only thing he doesn’t have a hand in is the weather. “I’ve really pushed it,” said Daines, now 74. “This is a hard deal to do, but I’m gonna keep doing it as long as I can anyhow.”
Daines shows no signs of slowing down, whether it’s organizing the rodeo or running the Auction Market. “I’ve worked there every day, every sale, since August 17th, 1955,” Daines said proudly (although he later admitted he’s missed a few sales for trips to Hawaii and the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas).
What’s made his business so successful? Anyone who knows Jack will tell you. He’s a straight shooter.
“He’s the same every day. There’s no phoniness to him,” offered Roy Graham, longtime Innisfail-area rancher and feedlot operator. “It doesn’t matter who you are or who you think you are, you’re going to get treated the same.”
“I just try to do the very best I can,” added Daines. “Even with my sales, I don’t look at how much I made for the day selling cattle. If I’ve done a good job, our customers will come back and deal with us again.”
ATB has sponsored his rodeo for over 20 years while Daines has been an ATB customer since 1986. “When you’re dealing with ATB, you know you’re with a good bank,” said Daines. “There’s other good banks, but (ATB) just tries to do a shade better.”
Daines has used that philosophy his whole life. He just tries to do a shade better, each and every day. “Someone asked me once, out of your whole life, what day was the best day in your life? My answer was tomorrow. What I’ve done is great, but what I’m gonna do is greater.”
