Helena native Konnor Ralph named Last Chance Stampede grand marshal

Helena is putting one of its own at the center of summer tradition. Konnor Ralph, the Helena native who competed for Team USA in Italy this winter, has been named grand marshal for the Last Chance Stampede parade, a role that turns his Olympic run into a hometown celebration.

Ralph’s return home last week included a visit to Warren Elementary, where he once went to school, and a community meet-and-greet that drew a strong local response. The Stampede Parade is scheduled to step off at noon July 25 through downtown Helena, with an awards ceremony and a chance for fans to meet Ralph afterward. The parade is part of the 66th annual Last Chance Stampede and Fair, which runs July 21-25 at the Lewis and Clark County Fairgrounds.

For Helena, the selection fits a long local pattern: the city tends to rally around athletes who come up through neighborhood hills, school gyms and community spaces before reaching a national stage. Ralph’s path is especially recognizable. Team USA says his parents put him on skis at Great Divide Ski Area when he was 2 years old. He started competing at age 10 and moved into park skiing around age 12. He is the first Helena native to compete in the Winter Olympics since Rogers Little at Sapporo in 1972.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard says Ralph is on the 2026 U.S. Olympic Freeski Team and has been with the U.S. Ski Team since 2022. His World Cup podiums came in Tignes in 2024 and Aspen in 2025, giving Helena a rare local athlete with both homegrown roots and international results.

The Stampede itself carries that same civic weight. Lewis and Clark County Fairgrounds leaders say the first Last Chance Stampede was held in 1961, after the fairgrounds association formed in 1959. The Lewis and Clark County Fair was added in 1969, helping build the multi-day event that now anchors the county’s summer calendar.

This year’s program also keeps some familiar pieces in place. Wayne Brooks will return as the rodeo announcer, and C5 Rodeo Company is coming back for the 2026 Stampede. With Ralph leading the parade through downtown Helena, the event is set to blend rodeo, fairground tradition and the pride that comes with seeing a Helena kid rise to the Olympic level and come home to lead the march.