“I just called him dad”: Calgary’s Buck Shot’s family shares their fondest memories

CALGARY – Brenda Barge did what other children in southern Alberta did in the 1960s: She rushed home at lunchtime to watch the Buck Shot Show on television.

“I just called him dad. To me, he was always dad,” Barge said in an interview with her older brother in the house where she grew up with two other siblings.

“We ran home to watch Dad on TV because that’s what everyone was doing, and so were we.”

For 30 years, Ron (Buck Shot) Barge and his buddy Benny the Bear entertained the people of Calgary with songs, puppets, his birthday book and his stylish, battered cowboy hat.

Barge died at home two weeks ago, 10 days before his 88th birthday.

“There's the hat and the bear,” said Brenda Barge, rummaging through boxes of photos and memorabilia. She said her mother, Shirley, made sure there were always a few spare hats in case one got lost.

“That was the hat he's probably been wearing for the last 10 years. He's had the same old, crumpled hat since the '60s. It didn't start with a big, beautiful Stetson hat.”

Buck Shot was one of the longest-running children's shows in Canada, surpassing Mr. Dressup, which ran for 29 years, and The Friendly Giant, which aired for 27 years.

Barge was asked to develop the show while he was a cameraman and location manager at CFCN in Calgary. He had a knack for interviewing kids in the audience and getting real reactions.

“Dad's trick was never to talk down to people. Even if you were a puppet, they would talk to you. It's a great experience because when you talk to someone, they learn something,” said Ken Barge.

“That was Dad. He would see a child, wave and give that person 30 or 45 seconds of attention and that was all it took to make that person feel special. And I think that's the best thing about Dad.”

Brenda Barge said she was about five years old when she realized her father was famous. On a trip to the mall, the family was surrounded by people wanting an autograph.

“I remember looking at my mother and thinking, 'He's just my father. Why are all these people standing around him?'” she says, laughing.

“It was beyond me that the Buck Shot thing was his job, and we ran home from school to see it too.”

But there was a dark side, her brother added. The show's success had sparked jealousy and resentment, and that spilled over into school.

“You talk so mean about your father,” said Ken Barge.

“People think if your dad is on TV, you're rich and famous and have all these things. In reality, I went to the same school and grew up in the same neighborhood as them.”

Ron Barge spent the last eight months at home in a hospital bed in the living room before he passed away on August 17.

Shortly before his death, he played “air piano” to the music, his son said.

Ron Barge has been a musician most of his life, playing in bands since he was 16. He played piano and sang with the Stardells in Calgary for over 20 years.

“If you had asked my father what he wanted to be, he would have been a musician – day and night,” said Ken Barge.

“His highlight in life was staying busy. He loved playing music and buck shot.”

For his 88th birthday, the family threw a birthday party with cake, brownies, roast beef, coleslaw and potato salad—his favorite food.

Brenda Barge wiped tears from her eyes as she remembered her father talking to her while she was cleaning windows shortly before his death.

“He said, 'Brenda, you are so beautiful' … that was my father. Now I am 58 years old and my father still tells me how beautiful I am.”

A memorial service is scheduled to take place in Calgary on September 20 at noon – the same time his show aired.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published September 1, 2024.

Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press