It didn’t get much more Calgary than The Buck Shot Show.
At least a couple of generations of Calgarians grew up watching Ron “Buck Shot” Barge and his sidekick, Benny the Bear, on TV for 30 years. Weekday lunchtime just wasn’t complete without tuning into the songs, the puppets, the birthday list and Buck Shot’s nifty cowboy hat.
This weekend, Ron Barge’s family announced on social media that he had passed away at the age of 87.
“With great sadness we have lost our dear dad Ron ‘Buckshot’ Barge who passed away at home surrounded by family and laughter. We will miss him,” wrote Brenda Barge on Saturday evening.
From 1967 to 1992, The Buck Shot Show aired daily at noon on CFCN (now CTV Calgary). It switched to weekend mornings before finally going off the air in 1997.
According to a social media post from Canadian historian Craig Baird, when the show ended it was the longest running children’s show in Canadian history, having run for one year longer than Mr. Dressup.
Ron Barge has died. <br>To generations of children in Alberta, he was Buck Shot. <br>His show ran from 1967 to 1997 and upon the show’s end it was the longest running children’s show in Canadian history (one year longer than Mr. Dressup). <br>RIP to a legend. <a href=”https://t.co/JUSK1YCel3″>pic.twitter.com/JUSK1YCel3</a>
—@CraigBaird
After the show was off the air, Barge and Jim Lewis, the puppeteer behind Benny the Bear, continued to entertain around town until 2015, when Buck Shot finally put down his guitar and hung up his hat.
The news of Barge’s passing triggered an outpouring of condolences from Calgarians who grew up with the easygoing entertainer.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith thanked Barge “for all the smiles and laughter.”
It is with a heavy heart that we share the news of the passing of a true Alberta legend and beloved children’s entertainer, Ron “Buck Shot” Barge. For decades, Buck Shot and his sidekick Benny the Bear brought joy, laughter, and countless memories to generations of children and… <a href=”https://t.co/OZkGzRN4vp”>pic.twitter.com/OZkGzRN4vp</a>
—@ABDanielleSmith
“For decades, Buck Shot and his sidekick Benny the Bear brought joy, laughter, and countless memories to generations of children and families across Alberta,” Smith wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Opposition NDP Leader and former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi expressed his gratitude and condolences as well.
So sorry to hear of the passing of Ron Barge, known to generations of Calgary kids as Buck Shot. I never got on the show when I was young but always got a thrill when I would meet him around town as an adult. Rest in peace, Ron, and love to your family and friends. We are all so… <a href=”https://t.co/rsfCyxJnmr”>pic.twitter.com/rsfCyxJnmr</a>
—@nenshi
“I never got on the show when I was young but always got a thrill when I would meet him around town as an adult,” Nenshi wrote on social media.
Among the many honours Barge received over the years, his guitar was put on display at the National Music Centre. In a tribute to her father as part of the exhibition, Cindy Barge wrote that she knows many Calgarians who can still hum the Buck Shot theme song today.
“That song, my dad’s guitar, and the wonderful troupe of characters, including his puppet pal, Benny the Bear, will last in the memories of so many. I am beyond proud and blessed to call Ron ‘Buck Shot’ Barge my father,” Cindy Barge wrote.