Connie Patterson
June 22, 1943 – April 24, 2026
Connie Patterson (L) on behalf of the Dawson Creek Exhibition Association accepts a commemorative plaque from WPCA Vice President Don Adams (R) for being selected the WPCA’s Top Race Committee for a record third consecutive year in 2006.
The World Professional Chuckwagon Association was deeply saddened by the sudden and unexpected passing of former Dawson Creek Exhibition Association President Connie Patterson on Friday, April 24, 2026, at the age of 82.
Born on June 22, 1943, Connie grew up in Northeastern British Columbia. Raised as a farm girl, she developed a deep love for agriculture and community at an early age. Her first experience with the Dawson Creek Fall Fair came in 1958 as a member of the Ground Birch 4-H Club. With her new in-laws involved in Percherons, Connie returned to the Fall Fair in 1963 as a volunteer with the Heavy Horse Show, and in 1968 she assumed secretary duties for the event, a role she held until 1995 — the same year the DCEA revived chuckwagon racing after a fifteen-year absence.
During the 1960s, Connie also began a thirty-year involvement with the Mile Zero Figure Skating Club, holding numerous positions locally and within the British Columbia/Yukon region for Skate Canada. Through her extensive experience organizing skating competitions, Connie later completed an event management course through the Disney Institute in the 1990s, education that would prove invaluable in the years ahead.
In 1996, Connie and her husband Leonard became actively involved with the chuckwagon races by hosting the Patterson Cattle Company Barbecue — a Thursday night gathering for WPCA drivers, outriders, and race personnel. The steak dinner hosted by the Pattersons quickly became a cherished tradition among everyone involved.
As the Dawson Creek Fall Fair continued to grow throughout the late 1990s with the addition of chuckwagon racing in 1995 and pro rodeo in 1999, tensions began to rise between the various groups involved in organizing the event. Recognizing Connie’s leadership abilities, experience in event management, and natural ability to bring people together, Dawson Creek Mayor Blair Lekstrom encouraged her to join the DCEA Board of Directors in 1999 to help unify the organization. Connie accepted the challenge.
Her responsibilities included overseeing the chuckwagon races, Heavy Horse Show, and beer gardens. By 2002 she had become DCEA Vice President and successfully negotiated a three-year agreement with the World Professional Chuckwagon Association.
In 2003, Connie was instrumental in bringing local radio station CJDC into Jamie Tiessen’s Chuckwagon Radio Network to broadcast all ten WPCA events. It was from that point forward she was one of the biggest supporters of the broadcasts across British Columbia and Alberta. With unwavering commitment, she made it her mission to ensure wagon racing fans everywhere could tune in, earning her place as one of WPCA radio broadcasting’s greatest supporters and fans.
After becoming DCEA President, Connie quickly left her mark on the organization. She helped establish the “Battle of the North†as part of the WPCA Pro Tour Satellite Canvas Auction and encouraged local businesses to become heavily involved in chuckwagon sponsorship. She increased the prize money for the championship final heat and introduced a ten-year improvement plan for the fairgrounds that benefited the agricultural, rodeo, and chuckwagon events alike. Connie also coined the phrase “The Greatest Show in the Peace,†a slogan still synonymous with the Dawson Creek Fall Fair today.
Under her leadership, the DCEA invested in a new auction market and aggressively promoted the Fall Fair through the Chuckwagon Radio Network. Connie was recognized as Dawson Creek’s Citizen of the Year, while the Battle of the North earned the first of three consecutive WPCA Top Race Committee Awards — a record that still stands today.
Over the next two decades, Connie Patterson oversaw tremendous growth and improvements at the Dawson Creek Fall Fair. Increased sponsorship support and extensive facility upgrades transformed the Battle of the North into one of the elite stops on the WPCA Pro Tour. Improvements included upgrades to the racetrack, expansion of the beer gardens, reconstruction of the announcer’s stand and broadcast booth, and the addition of the grandstand roof and infield corporate suites.
Despite her many accomplishments, Connie was a visionary that was never too big for the small details that separate a good event from a truly outstanding one. Whether personally delivering cold water to outriders or going above and beyond to ensure every participant and fan enjoyed their experience, Connie’s passion and dedication were evident in everything she did. In 2012 Connie was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, and she also received a Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medallion from MP Bob Zimmer in 2022, the same year that the City of Dawson Creek dedicated two streets – Patterson Drive and Patterson Way – in honor of the Patterson Family. In 2024, Connie was named Committee Person of the Year by the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association, and in 2025 she received the King Charles III Coronation Medal.
Connie was predeceased by her parents George “Farmer†and Merle Grant, husband Leonard Patterson, and grandson Russell Walkom. She is survived by her son Shane Patterson (Ardath Rueb), daughter Chante Patterson-Elden (Charles Elden), grandchildren Shane (Twyla) Elden, Brandon Walkom, Brittany (Dylan) Moulds, Kori Elden, and Sam Rueb, great-grandchildren Parker Dowd, Peyton Elden, Blake Moulds, and Banks Moulds, brothers Gary Grant (Margie) and Wayne Grant (Janet), along with many nieces, nephews, and the entire Patterson clan, 103 strong.
A Funeral Service for Connie will be held at the Dawson Creek Memorial Arena on Friday, May 8, 2026, at 1:00 p.m., with Pastor David Epp officiating. For those unable to attend in person, a livestream of the service will be available.
For friends so wishing, donations may be made in memory of Connie to the Dawson Creek Exhibition Association Endowment in Memory of Connie Patterson, with funds supporting post-secondary scholarships throughout the region.
Connie Patterson will be dearly missed throughout the WPCA community, and we extend our sincere condolences to the Patterson family.
Billy Melville
