News & Notes from the Rodeo Trail, March 8
In December 2020, the San Angelo (Texas) Stock Show and rodeo announced changes to the 2021 schedule. These changes included splitting up the stock show and rodeo events. The San Angelo Rodeo will run April 9-24. On March 5, 2021, the SASSRA Executive Board approved three items: The rodeo would be held at 100 percent capacity; tickets would go on sale to the public on March 15, with volunteers having an opportunity to purchase tickets on March 12; and an additional $100,000 would be added to the total purse. That will make the amount of the total purse about $500,000, according to Justin Jonas, Executive Director for the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo.
With La Fiesta de Los Vaqueros Rodeo Parade in Tucson, Ariz., canceled this year, there will be a drive-thru event in support of the annual rodeo parade, the Tucson Rodeo Parade Committee announced March 5. A family-friendly, safe drive-thru event was put together to show appreciation for the parade, according to a press release from the Tucson Rodeo Parade Committee. It includes live music, folkloric dancers, trick roping, and dozens of historical wagons and carriages. Visitors will get gifts and a chance to win prizes. The event will be March 20 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (MT) at the Tucson Rodeo Grounds at 4823 S. 6th Ave. It is free and open to the public. Those planning to go are asked to event the drive-thru route from Irvington Road onto northbound Third Avenue. Donations will be accepted for Casas de los Ninos, including diapers, baby wipes, children’s books and school supplies. La Fiesta de Los Vaqueros is expected to return Feb. 19-27, 2022.
On March 1, Calgary-North MLA Muhammad Yaseen introduced Bill 212 before an Alberta Government standing committee, in a proposal that if passed would make rodeo the province’s official sport. Per CTV News Calgary, Yaseen said the sport represented “an important thread” in Alberta’s culture. The Calgary Stampede, which began in 1912, was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It marked the first time the event has not happened since becoming an annual tradition in 1923. The Stampede brings more than 1 million visitors annually and adds $540 million into the provincial economy per year, according to CBC. If Bill 212 is passed by the committee, it will move to the legislature for debate, according to the Edmonton Journal.
The 2021 College National Finals Rodeo is expected to happen as planned. Casper, Wyo., Mayor Steve Freel said during the March 2 city council meeting that the College National Finals Rodeo is moving forward for 2021, Freel said in a March 2 article in the Oil City News. The CNFR is scheduled for June 13-19. Freel said the only hiccup is that a few colleges are “dealing with COVID issues of getting students here.” The COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 CNFR, but Freel said the show will go on this year. The CNFR has been in Casper since 1999. The 2019 CNFR saw 25,679 tickets sold, the second-highest number of sales since the rodeo has been in Casper. The rodeo event attracts talent from around the world and represents a significant economic boon to the Natrona County and Casper areas. An economic impact study of the 2018 CNFR found the rodeo generated $1.87 million in total “direct economic impact” for the Casper area.
Courtesy of PRCA