JULY HOT SPOTS
July 18, 2008 - If you throw a rock in the state of Kansas this time of year, you’re bound to hit a county fair.
The annual county fair is as American as apple pie, and towards the end of July, as plentiful as fireflies in the summer.
With these county fairs comes the usual evening entertainment - rodeos.
If a cowboy or cowgirl wanted to compete in a lot of rodeos without traveling far, Kansas would be the place to be right now. For the eleven days between July 24 and August 3, there is a rodeo going on in Kansas every night except for one.
Seven pro rodeos take place in that time span: Manhattan, Hardtner, Hill City, Abilene, Phillipsburg, Colby, and Dodge City. Even though their dates nearly fall on each other, they don’t consider each other as competition. In fact, they say that the calendar overlap is beneficial, because it entices more rodeo athletes to compete at Kansas rodeos.
Because those seven rodeos are within 11 days of each other and are geographically close, they see some of the best pro rodeo athletes in the nation. Many of the current and past world champions, plus contestants ranked in the top 20 in the world, travel to Kansas and compete at most of the week and a half’s rodeos.
Abilene rodeo chairman Jerry Marsteller says the seven rodeos at the same time is good. “It’s an advantage for us, as far as getting contestants, because they don’t have as far to drive.”
Dr. R.C. Trotter, Dodge City Roundup chairman, agrees. “It’s a great series. It (the close dates) benefits us all because it makes us all very attractive places to be.”
The rodeos with smaller payouts also reap the benefits. Louis Schindler, president of the Jayhawker Roundup Rodeo in Hill City, says, “It’s pretty good for us. They (contestants) come down from Cheyenne (Frontier Days in Wyo.) and they can split off,” and compete in several different places.
Manhattan kicks off the rodeo run on July 24-26. The Hardtner rodeo takes place July 25-26. Hill City is next, with a rodeo on July 28-30. Colby’s rodeo is July 29-30, Abilene’s rodeo dates are July 30-August 2, Phillipsburg is July 31-August 2, and the Dodge City Roundup caps off the run July 30 through August 3.
If you’re looking for something to do, consider attending one of the pro rodeos in the state. You’ll see some of the greatest rodeo talent in the nation, all without going far from home!
For more information on Kansas rodeos, visit http://www.klcrs.com.
