PRORODEO Sports News - July 11, 2025

event, working the parade, helping at the roughstock gate and eventually moving to the announcer's stand. “I’ve had three grand marshal relatives here and it means a lot to me,” Thompson said. “Clovis was a railhead for the cattle ranches around here that shipped cattle in the spring. And one of the ranchers had a horse that couldn’t be rode. Another ranch had a cowboy who couldn’t be thrown. And I think somebody put up five bucks and the Clovis Rodeo was born.” The Desert Rodeo in Thermal is a new addition to the PRORODEO arsenal. But the event’s orga nizers are doing everything possible to make it a must-attend fixture in the Coachella Valley. Cassie DiLaura, one of the dreamers who found ed the event and a correspondent for Entertain ment Tonight, has come to love the Coachella Valley through her experiences at the Stagecoach Country Music Festival. By all indicators, the first-year event in the heart of the desert was a roaring success. But DiLaura and her partners aren’t satisfied and want the event to become a community staple in Thermal. “We are going to be here for many years to come, and we are going to grow this rodeo into some thing massive for the Coachella Valley,” DiLaura said. “We’re offering people a space where they can immerse themselves in cowboy culture and highlight the sport and introduce the sport to a lot of people for whom this is their first rodeo.” At the heart of every PRORODEO event is the desire to give back to the community. The Lakeside Rodeo was founded in the 1960s to meet a need in the community. A group of par ents wanted lights for the football stadium at El Capitan High School and parents, teachers and educators decided a rodeo could raise the funds to achieve that goal. The first Lakeside Rodeo was held in 1964 with temporary seating and chutes. The funds were raised to build the stadium, but the event continued and to this day gives money to youth initiatives. “This is a huge event for this community, be cause what we do here at the El Cap 10 stadium Association, or Lakeside rodeo, is we take 100% of our proceeds and we give back to the kids right here in the community,” Armstrong said. “So everything that we do, GIVING BACK

we literally take all of our funds right back and disperse them right back into the community for the kids.” The Springville Sierra Rodeo committee consists of mem bers of four different clubs: the Veterans of Foreign Wars,

The Clovis (Calif.) Rodeo has been a staple in the Golden State for 111 years and is a pivotal PRORODEO Playoff Series stop. PRCA photo by Roseanna Sales

Kids participate in a stick horse race at the Lakeside (Calif.) Rodeo. PRCA photo by Andrea Kaus

The running of the flags signaled the start of another performance at the 75th edition of the Springville Sierra Rodeo. PRCA photo by Brett Schneider the Women’s Club, the Backcountry Horsemen and the Lions Club. Each group uses proceeds from the event to support their

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PRORODEO Sports News