The Wildest Richest Rodeo in the West!
Written by: Ann Clemmitt
Well folks, it’s that time of year. The sun is shining, shorts and flip flops are emerging from the back of the closet, and the patio furniture has been brought out from storage and uncovered. Okay, so that might be a slight exaggeration considering it was snowing just this last weekend but none the less, summer is on its way and along with it comes my favorite time of the year… Some kids anxiously await the Christmas holiday every year but not me. My countdown begins at the end of August as I eagerly anticipate the arrival of the following June because that means the rodeo season is about to kick off in style.
Technically the rodeo season runs from October 1st to September 30th of the following year, but unofficially summer is the busiest time of year for cowboys and cowgirls. It’s so busy in fact that during the week of 4th of July, lucky cowboys have been to known win upwards of $30,000.00! That’s almost enough incentive to close up the old laptop and trade it in for a pair of spurs and some chaps!
Events
Lucky for us, the busy travel season gets started right here in Reno with the Reno Rodeo which starts June 17th and runs through the 25th. If you like watching the bull riding there is an Extreme Bulls event just for bull riders on June 16th which gets started at 7pm. Starting the 17th, I will be riding in the Grand Entry every night which gets kicked off at 7pm sharp. Then you can watch the world’s best cowboys take on the world’s best bucking stock provided by Flying U Rodeo Company in the Bareback, Saddle Bronc and Bull Riding events. If rough stock events aren’t your thing never fear, we have timed events also! You can see the best ropers competing in Team Roping and Tie-Down Roping. You can also see the big guys wrestle steers in Steer Wrestling. Now don’t think we forgot about the women and children ‘cause we didn’t! We have barrel racing for the ladies and mutton busting for the kids. Mutton Busting is one of my favorite events because we have the opportunity to cheer on the future of rodeo as they ride sheep and hang on for dear life. And if that is still not enough excitement for you, there is an autograph signing party after each rodeo performance where you can meet some of the visiting state rodeo queens, the evening’s winners, and the specialty acts.
Even if the rodeo isn’t for you, there is a carnival where you can find a never ending supply of topsy-turvy rides, funnel cakes and cotton candy. The Reno Rodeo has something for everyone so I hope you can take time to come see us. And if the picture I painted for you isn’t enough reason to come, there is more! This event impacts the Reno/Sparks area economy with $42 million going to hotels, casinos, restaurants and retail. And thanks to the generous sponsors in Northern Nevada the Reno Rodeo has given back $5.1 million dollars to our local community since 1986 through the Reno Rodeo Foundation. Pretty cool huh?
Besides the rodeo, the other thing I wanted to call out is the parade. The parade is downtown on Virginia Street and starts at 10:00am on June 18th. You can catch me riding with Miss Rodeo Nevada Teen in the Bonanza Cadillac. And for those of you with younger kids you can bring them by the fairgrounds at 12:00pm following the parade for Kid’s Day! It’s a new event this year but it will feature behind the scenes chute tours, Rodeo Queens, “mechanical” bull riding, livestock to pet and much more. The event is free and so is parking.
Logistics
You can purchase rodeo tickets ahead of time at Lawlor Events center (not where the rodeo is held) or you can purchase tickets the day of the event at the box office located on the west end of the fairgrounds.
Dress code
You might be wondering if there is some kind of cowboy dress code to get into a shindig like this but there isn’t. Of course we’d love it if you wear Wrangler Jeans, Justin Boots, Montana Silversmiths Buckles, and Resistol hats, but the great thing about the rodeo crowd is that we take you as you are J We do have two nights that we’d love you to get dressed up for to help us honor Breast Cancer patients and our Armed Forces. Tough Enough to Wear Pink Night is Friday June 17th and Patriot Night is Friday June 24th. As you may have guessed we’d love to see you decked out in pink for Tough Enough to Wear Pink and Red, White, and Blue for Patriot Night.
Check out www.renorodeo.com for more information and a complete list of events. It’s time to Cowboy Up Reno!
Until next time,
Ann Clemmitt
