ProRodeo Sports News - June 23, 2023

COMMITTEE

Colleen McIntyre photo Cowtown Rodeo Historic Pilesgrove, N.J., rodeo honored

BY TRACY RENCK T he storied history of the Cowtown Rodeo in Pilesgrove, N.J., is being rewarded at the highest level as it is being enshrined into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, Colo., on July 15. Despite the rodeo’s notoriety, rodeo secretary Betsy Harris, who has been an integral part of the rodeo for more than four decades, couldn’t believe the phone call she received from the Hall of Fame. That was evident the first time her number was called, and she hung up the phone without answering. “I’m terribly sorry,” Harris said. “I honestly thought I’m not taking this call, ‘Who is this call?” she said. “I was hoping you wouldn’t notice, but dang it.” Then when she did answer the call she was stunned when she was told the news of Cowtown being put in the cherished ProRodeo Hall of Fame. “Seriously,” Harris when told Cowtown Rodeo was Hall of Fame bound. “I never really saw this coming. Oh, my goodness. My husband and I, this generation, have been doing this for 45 years and we never saw this coming. Our rodeo committee is just four of us, my son-in-law and daughter and my husband Grant and me, that’s our huge committee. “We have a huge work force that does work for us and are so dedicated and wonderful. I’m really in shock, not the call I was expecting for sure. This is wonderful. This is an honor. We so look forward for the (induction

ceremony).” Cowtown has held rodeo competitions in Salem County, New Jersey, nearly every week since 1955, rain or shine. The only exceptions were six Saturdays at the start of the pandemic in 2020. Cowtown is known as the oldest weekly professional rodeo in the United States. The rodeo runs each year from Memorial Day to the end of September each summer. Cowtown Rodeo was started in 1929 by Howard Harris Sr. and his son, Howard “Stoney” Harris Jr. Stoney held the first rodeo in Woodstown N.J., in conjunction with the Salem County Fair, at the original auction grounds on North Main Street. Presently this ground is known as Harris Acres, with the back stretch of the racetrack now being the Presbyterian Church on Auburn Road. The rodeo was held annually during the County Fair until 1938. World War II caused the rodeo to be put on hold until 1955 when Howard “Baldy” Harris, Stoney’s son, came back from the University of Idaho carrying the 1954 National Intercollegiate All-Around Rodeo Championship saddle. Cowtown Rodeo was – and is – known nationwide due to live national TV exposure in 1958 & 1959 and taped exposure nationwide in 1969 and 1970. The rodeo outgrew the original arena and in 1967 built the present 4,000 seat arena. Now, it will be remembered forever as a ProRodeo Hall of Fame rodeo.

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