ProRodeo Sports News June 14th, 2019

COWBOY CHRISTMAS PREVIEW

WORLD’S OLDEST RODEO Prescott,Ariz. July 1-7 worldsoldestrodeo.com The Prescott Rodeo was approaching its 24th year of action by the time Arizona became a state in February 1912. Prescott’s first official rodeo was July 4, 1888, and by 1913 the competition had moved to its current location while taking the name Prescott Frontier Days. By 1985, it trademarked the name “World’s Oldest Rodeo.” “The main thing is our longevity and the reputation we have as being the world’s oldest rodeo,” said J.C. Trujillo, the general manager for Prescott Frontier Days and the 1981World Champion Bareback Rider. Prescott’s rodeo was the first to have a set of rules and charge entry fees and admission, which helped provide blueprints for the Cowboy’s Turtle Association, the forerunner to the Rodeo Cowboys Association, Trujillo said. “It’s where you can say the seed for ProRodeo was planted,” Trujillo said. This year’s rodeo will feature eight performances July 1-7, including two July 6, and contestants will have more stalls available than last year. “We really take pride in every performance,” Trujillo said. “In the eight perfs we have, we try to put out as good as stock as possible. That’s very important to me as a former contestant – if you can ride, you will draw animals you can win on.” Last year’s rodeo boasted a payout in excess of $260,000 and stock from the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. “We keep adding more money,” Trujillo said. “The money is good, and the stock is good, and as a former contestant, that’s the two main things you look for in a quality rodeo.” OLDWESTTRAIL RODEO Crawford, Neb. July 3-4 oldwesttrailrodeo.com Crawford, a small town in northwest Nebraska, has a population of fewer than 1,000. Over the years, Crawford has become known for its OldWest Trail Rodeo. In 2019, the 73rd annual rodeo will take place. “This rodeo is the biggest thing the community has all year,” said Brooke Bass, OldWest Trail Rodeo president. “It is the biggest time of the year for our businesses.” The two-day rodeo will have Summit Pro Rodeo as the stock contractor. It takes plenty of volunteer hours to put things together, Bass said. The rodeo will begin at 8 p.m. each day and slack will follow the performance July 3. On July 4, after the rodeo, there will be a fireworks show. “Our deal is hard to judge our attendance (at the rodeo) because we don’t have a stadium to sit in,” Bass said. “We are kind of old-fashioned. We have a big hillside with parking posts with people parking along the top, and they sit all over the hillside and the grandstands. I think on the judge’s report last year we had like 5,500 (spectators) for the two- day rodeo. We have people from South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska and Iowa. Of course, three miles west of town is Fort Robinson State Park, which was an old Calgary post. It is a huge tourist deal, and we get people from all over.” The hustle and bustle of the rodeo week is something Bass embraces. “You better believe we love the cowboys and spectators coming to town,” he said. “We have people who have been to every one of our rodeos. It’s a big deal for us to be during Cowboy Christmas.”

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ProRodeo Sports News 6/14/2019

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