tbird’s Next Chapter

Dana Matheson is best known in Langley, BC as an entrepreneur with deep ties to the sports community. He’s a former player on the Saint Mary’s Huskies football team and current co-owner of two junior hockey teams, BC Hockey League’s Langley Rivermen and the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League’s Westshore Wolves.

As of this week, he’s taken on a new title: owner of Thunderbird Show Park.

On March 20th, 2026, Matheson officially added the legacy venue to his growing sports empire. Founded in 1973 by George & Dianne Tidball, tbird is one of the longest running family-owned show parks in North America and, for Matheson, the mission is equally personal.

“My wife and daughter spend every summer at Thunderbird,” he shared.

“I love seeing the joy that it brings them. They’re at the show every day, all day—the long hours, the blood, sweat and tears that that my daughter puts into it, the confidence it’s brought her, and what it’s done for my wife and daughter’s relationship and our relationship as a family. It’s a pleasure to watch.”

We caught up with Matheson and tbird CEO Chris Pack to unpack what the future holds for tbird.

This is a big change! And a bit out of left field. Thunderbird has been in the Tidball family for over 50 years. Dana, what sparked your interest in owning the horse park?

Dana Matheson: My wife Laurel is in the horse business. She runs Cedar Ridge Equestrian out of our property, and my daughter rides at a fairly high level. They never miss a show at tbird, so I never miss a show. Every now and again, I would get the idea in my head: what’s the future of tbird? What’s going to happen if the Tidball family decides to move on?

I’m entrepreneurial by nature. I started to get the juices going about tbird and what could be done. In May, I reached out to Chris and I said, “Hey, would the family be open to allowing me to look into things and potentially making an offer?” He was kind of taken aback a little bit (laughs).

The more I dug into it the more excited I got thinking this is a pretty cool opportunity.

Chris, what was your first impression of Dana’s idea?

Chris Pack: I was intrigued. The Tidballs hadn’t really discussed a sale, so it took a minute to wrap my mind around what tbird might look like owned by a different family. But I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Dana for the better part of a decade now through mutual friends, business and, of course, tbird. He is an extremely hard worker and creative business person, so I knew he would bring many out of the box ideas forward, and his values and ethics mirror that of the Tidball Family. He’s also a very competitive sports person. The more we talked the clearer it was that Dana and his family would be a perfect fit to carry on the Tidballs’ legacy.

tbird is renown for its hospitality—it’s a core part of the Tidball tradition. How does that fit into the future?

Matheson: That’s the one of the many things that I think I always appreciated coming to Thunderbird. Chris and his team do such a wonderful job of making people feel welcome. And it has that family atmosphere to it. Chris knows everybody by name and gets to know their business—he’s just such a personable welcoming type of person. That always resonated with me because that’s how I operate and how we are as a family—relationships matter.

We’re very community focused, very family driven. It felt like a perfect marriage.

The 2026 season officially starts in April. What should competitors expect this year?

Matheson: More of the same really. I know that a lot of people will be worried about what’s going to change. Nothing is going to change for the worse. Nothing is going backwards. With our family taking over, the goal is that tbird runs long after we’re on this earth. George and Dianne and Jane created something amazing here. We want to build upon it and ensure it continues to evolve and raise the bar.

And, selfishly, we want tbird to thrive because it is such a big part of our lives. It’s an institution here in Langley.

Pack: On the operations side, it’s business as usual. You’ll see the same faces in the office and running the park and the same founder programs. The Mathesons are committed to continuing with the ‘George & Dianne Tidball Legacy Scholarship Program’ and the namesake to the George & Dianne Legacy Arena. That applies to Dianne’s legacy of continually making upgrades to the grounds, too.

Looking to the future, what do you hope to implement?

Matheson: At some point, I would like to bring in a year-round restaurant. Like a high-end steakhouse-winery concept, with an outdoor dining area and we source everything locally.

I want to leverage my relationships and bring in more corporate sponsors and raise more money for the top-level riders around the world and get some of the bigger events out. I think there’s an opportunity to develop some of the younger riders in the offseason, too. I want to do more seasonal events and through the winter, like expanding the Christmas market tbird did in 2024.

Honestly, I’ve got a million ideas, none of which involve moving away from what the Tidball family has created. tbird is an amazing place. How can we add to it now? How can we build on for the next 50 plus years?

That harkens back to tbird’s roots. The original location had The Keg restaurant.

Matheson: Part of what I want to do is expose people to Thunderbird that have never been there. I want to bring them in to watch. I want to fill the stands. I want to bring in more events. I want to make it more of a hub for Langley and I think a restaurant concept will help with that for sure.

Dana, you have a diverse sports background in hockey and football. Can we expect more mainstream sports influence coming into tbird?

Matheson: So my background is football. I’ve been in that world for most of my adult life and running the Langley Rams, but I’m also heavily involved in the hockey too. So there’s always a ton of marketing that goes into running those teams, be it corporate partnerships, be it entertaining them, be it filling the stands, getting in the community, planting those seeds, giving back, all of that stuff. That’s what really excites me and what I have the experience with.

I would love to see thousands of people watching the Grand Prix events and those stands just full and people enjoying it and having just a wonderful experience all summer long. That’s the challenge that I’m putting in front of myself—to make sure that happens.

Anything else people should know?

Pack: I know that competitors are going to love the Matheson Family when they get to meet them. Dana and Laurel are huge believers in what makes tbird special and are excited to expand on that legacy. The impact that the Tidballs had on Langley and the equestrian community will never be forgotten and only strengthened under the Matheson Family ownership. I’m excited for this next chapter.

Matheson: I think that it’s just important to know that we’re a family that’s very passionate about this community. I grew up in Langley, born and raised. We live 10 minutes from tbird. I think this makes a lot of sense for the entire community because it will ensure that tbird’s around for many, many years to come.

And we’re looking forward to meeting everyone. When you see us at the park say hello, introduce yourself! We’re at all the shows.