News and Notes from the Rodeo Trail, Sept. 15
by ProRodeo.com | Sep 15, 2014
The five finalists for the PRCA Donita Barnes Contract Personnel Lifetime Achievement Award have been decided. The award recognizes and honors those contract personnel members of the PRCA who have dedicated their lives to the rodeo industry through their commitment and contributions. The five nominees are Pete Burns, Quail Dobbs, Kay Gay, Liz Kesler and Karen Vold. Ballots went out Sept. 12, and are due back by Oct. 15. The winner will be announced at the PRCA Awards Banquet on Dec. 3 in Las Vegas.
Three-time WNFR bull rider Trevor Kastner’s season is over due to a wrist injury. He had surgery in March, however, the wrist will require additional attention. WNFR tie-down roper Stetson Vest is also done for the year with a disc herniation in his lower back that will require surgery.
Rodeo Austin (Texas) awarded $500,000 in scholarships to 45 students on Aug. 14 at the Rodeo Austin Scholarship Awards Ceremony at the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin. Since the scholarship program began in 1981, Rodeo Austin has awarded more than $6.49 million in scholarships to Texas students.
Upgrades to the historic Deadwood (S.D.) rodeo grounds grandstand will result in updated concessions and bathroom areas, along with increased ability to use the facility year-round. While city officials don’t yet have a cost estimate on the project, Deadwood Historic Preservation Officer Kevin Kuchenbecker said that around $400,000 has been budgeted for the two-phase project, which will begin this fall with roof repairs and be completed next spring. “We have a world-class Days of ’76 celebration, so we feel that having an updated and enhanced facility for our guests to go along with that is important,” Kuchenbecker said. He also said the architect and engineer have already begun to develop some of the drawings, and roof repairs will likely begin within the next 30 to 45 days.
The State Fair of Louisiana ProRodeo in Shreveport has announced that Jerry Nelson’s Frontier Rodeo Company will be producing the Oct. 31 through Nov. 1 event at the Hirsch Memorial Coliseum.
A crew from the Chinese television station Jiangsu Broadcasting Corp. was on hand at the Pendleton Round-Up on Sept. 9 to shoot a rodeo segment which will be broadcast to more than 70 million people in China. Led by Oregon State Rep. Brian Clem, the travel show’s producer, Wei Yulong, and his crew wanted to give their home country a taste of American rodeo and the Western way of life.
The Parada del Sol Rodeo is one of three finalists for the 2014 Non-Profit Award at the 29th Annual Sterling Awards. The Sterling Awards celebrate the people and companies that make the Scottsdale, Ariz., community a great place to live. The event will take place Nov. 14 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Chaparral Suites Resort in Scottsdale.
The Gem State Classic Pro Rodeo in Blackfoot, Idaho, saw its largest paid attendance to date in 2014. Officials say it was one of the highest turnouts they’ve ever had at the Eastern Idaho State Fair. Nearly 220,000 people attended the eight-day event in Blackfoot, tying the fair’s second-highest attendance record, according to Brandon Bird, fair manager.
Courtesy of PRCA