Ranchman’s Cookhouse and Dancehall — the iconic Calgary country bar that’s been a Stampede hot spot for more than 50 years — is relocating next year.

The bar, currently located at 9615 Macleod Trail S.E., is moving to a different, larger building nearby in early 2027, as part of a planned redevelopment of the existing site. 

“We’re proud of where we’ve been,” Wendy Daniel, Ranchman’s director of marketing said in a press release. “We’re excited about where Ranchman’s is going next and look forward to sharing more in the months ahead.”

While the new location hasn’t been revealed yet, Daniel said the venue plans to have a full lineup of events in its final year at the original building.

The bar has been a favourite spot for line dancers, country music artists and mechanical bull riders since it opened in April 1972. Its collection of Western memorabilia and annual Stampede celebrations have cemented it as a Calgary landmark, as has its appearances in Hollywood films like Cool Runnings and Brokeback Mountain.

Calgary musician Jaiden Riley said she was “shocked” to hear the bar was moving. She recently won Ranchman’s Rising Star competition and said playing at the venue has helped grow her career.

“It has opened so many doors for me career-wise,” Riley said. “I get to play Country Thunder this summer, I get to record a new song and release it with Country 105, and none of that would be possible if it weren’t for Ranchman’s.”

Riley said her family has fond memories of the place, and her mom and grandfather are friends with some of the people who have saddles displayed inside. 

“The very first time I had the opportunity to play there, and I brought my mom with me, she had a bunch of memories come flooding back, so it’s a generational memory, this place,” Riley said.

“For a country music city, it is the country music venue.”

Plans to ‘revitalize’ the area

The relocation is part of a mixed-use redevelopment named Ranchman’s Village, which will replace the existing building.

The Deveraux Group of Companies and Lansdowne Equity Ventures are behind the redevelopment.

The new location is in the early planning stages, said Sameer Remtulla, senior vice-president of real estate and project development with Deveraux. 

The plan is for Ranchman’s to finish 2026 in the existing building, while Deveraux sets up the new building for use early next year, Remtulla explained. Then the focus will shift to the mixed-use development, including getting the required land use and development permits.

The goal is to complete construction by summer 2028, Remtulla said, although there is no set timeline for when Ranchman’s could move back to the new development.

“They would continue to operate while we get the new space set up and then they would roll over there,” he said. “It would be a very minimal downturn for them and make sure that they can come back.”

Deveraux also wants to attract additional retailers — whether other bars and restaurants, or pharmacies and barber shops — to help “revitalize” the area along Macleod Trail, Remtulla said.

“What we’ve really been visioning for the site right now is to create a main street, commercial feel to it, really focusing on the pedestrian oriented nature of it,” he said. “Ultimately our intent would be to have main street commercial and residential above.”

Part of the planning process will explore how best to integrate residential and commercial spaces, including factors such as noise from the bar, Remtulla added.

A ‘local watering hole’

The country dance hall was founded by Harris Dvorkin and Kevin Baker 54 years ago. The bar began as a self-serve cafeteria, but quickly grew into a more than 1,000-seat dance hall.

The Canadian Country Music Association has named the venue Country Club of the Year 13 times. Several prominent artists, including Shania Twain, Keith Urban and Billy Ray Cyrus, have played there.

After Dvorkin’s passing in 2017, the bar was sold to a group of local business owners, led by Doug Rasberry.

In October 2020, following a pandemic shutdown, Ranchman’s was put up for lease, prompting questions about its future. The following year, it was sold to a new ownership group, which reopened it in 2022. 

Local musician Stephanie Merkus plays regularly at Ranchman’s and said the venue is like a “local watering hole” for musicians to connect with the community, as well as an important part of Calgary’s history.

“I hope that just that vibe and the esthetic look of it will transfer over into the new venue, and that it’s still considered a honky-tonk, looks like a honky-tonk [and] feels like a honky-tonk,” Merkus said.

Remtulla said Deveraux has been focused on ensuring the “same aura” carries over to the new location. It’s been working with Ranchman’s to plan the appropriate relocation of memorabilia and has been considering moving the existing dance floor into the new space.

“Our objective at the end of the day is that we really want to make sure that we pay homage to the legacy of the area,” he said.