The Hawker Story
Who knew that an almost random job application in 1988 would lead me to the fun times I've had over almost two decades. Saskatchewan Place was opening in Saskatoon, and for some reason I was interested in being a hawker. After my first night hawking, I knew that it was something I would be doing for a while, something that I really enjoyed.
Come summer for the next few years, I commuted between Saskatoon and Calgary, working for Western Foods at Foothills Stadium (later know as Burns Stadium). I also traveled to Edmonton, Prince George and Vancouver, working for Western Foods. As I moved into concession management, I still worked as a hawker for big events, as well as doing some freelance work for smaller venues. As well, I have worked for a few years for the Calgary Flames, both at hockey games and other events at the Saddledome.
I first started out hawking in February of 1988, when the new arena in my hometown of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Place opened. There I worked for an Edmonton based company called Western Food Services. There I did hockey games, concerts and other events (including a bingo!). In May of 1988, I began what was to become a yearly ritual, moving to Calgary, Alberta for the summer. In Calgary, I worked for Western at Foothills Baseball Stadium, (now named Burns Stadium), home of the AAA Calgary Cannons. While I had been good in Saskatoon, Calgary was the place where there were the best hawkers in Western Canada, and a good place to test myself. I started slowly, but by the end of the summer was the number one hawker.
What I sold at that time was soft drinks and various confection items, such as M&Ms, popcorn and licorice. Unlike other companies, all of this was on one gigantic tray, which weighed about 60 pounds when full. The reason to have everything together is to sell more than one item to a customer, ie: a Coke with peanuts.
In a few years, we were able to start selling beer at the baseball park. I'm proud to say I was the first beer hawker in the province of Alberta. Later, In 1996, I was able to transfer my expertise to Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, and was the first to hawk beer there.
There are a couple of reasons that I am as good as I am at this. (Other than my obvious modesty!) First is my size. I'm 6'2", and weigh 210 pounds. This makes carrying a tray easier, and makes me a bit more visible. Also, something that I got from my teaching training was my ability to use my voice. Let's just say that you know when I'm in a building selling!
Here is an example of me hawking.
And here is a link to a CBC story I was a part of in the spring of 2006: CBC
Also in 1996, I started to hawk merchandise at the Canadian Airlines Saddledome. As well as working at Calgary Flames and Calgary Hitman games, I have hawked at various concerts and events at the Saddledome. After a few years doing merchandise, I moved back into the concession side of things, and although I work full time 'across the street' at the Corral and RoundUp Centre for the Calgary Stampede, I still have time to work at almost all Flames games, and selected other events.
I enjoy seeing different interpretations and representations of hawkers in the media. I think my favorite versions come from Monty Python, who have Brian hawk in the movie 'Life of Brian', as well as having John Cleese hawk during their 'Live at the Hollywood Bowl' show.
Click on the picture to hear another example of a hawker.
Below are some of the venues that I have worked at:
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Enmax Centrium |
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McMahon Stadium |
And some of the teams I've been able to work for:
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Here's an example of me at my loudest: LISTEN