Monthly Archives: February 2025

Gooding Pro Rodeo to honor history with its 100th anniversary GOODING, Idaho – The pioneering spirit the developed this desert region into a farming community still stands strong in southern Idaho. It will be honored with the 100th anniversary of the Gooding Pro Rodeo, set for Thursday, Aug. 14-Saturday, Aug. 16, with a special “Beauty and the Beast” performance set for Wednesday, Aug. 13. All performances take place at 8 p.m. at Andy James Arena. “What is now the Gooding County Fair and Rodeo was originally the Farmers Fair in Wendell, just 10 miles south of us,” said Don Gill, the fair and rodeo’s manager. “It was started in September of 1916 as a way for the pioneering farmers to bring their bounty to town and celebrate what they were doing on their homesteads.” Nine years later, the Gooding city fathers moved the fair to the 116th Cavalry Grounds, which is where the fairgrounds sits today, and added activities like a polo match with the cavalry and bucking and roping contests. “That’s what made it a true fair and rodeo,” Gill said. That legacy still exists but on a much grander scale. Thousands make their way to Gooding County for the experience and the high-flying action that is ProRodeo in this century. “Top cowboys have always considered Gooding as their home away from home,” Gill said. “In the early days, men like Pete Grubb, Mike Bryant and Yakama Canutt matched their skills against the horses from Haley Tucker, the Christian Brothers and Swanny Kirby. “That tradition continues with the world’s best making Gooding an important stop on their rodeo schedules.” Take Kassie Mowry, who tied the Andy James Arena record in winning the rodeo last year en route to her first barrel racing world championship. She is one of many who own those prestigious gold buckles who have not only earned good money in Gooding but have also left town with the rodeo’s title in hand. “There have been a lot of people who have made important contributions to the longstanding success of our fair and rodeo,” Gill said. “In 1990, then-fair manager Lucy Osborne took the bull by the horns and formed the Save Our Seats Committee to raise enough money to replace the old wooden bleachers, which had been condemned. “She conducted numerous fundraisers – including Baxter Black, a bison roast and just about anything else she could come up with – and the construction began two years later. Local farmers, the highway district and anyone else who volunteered hauled in the dirt to where the current bleachers sit.” The condemnation was just an obstacle that those who had forward thinking were willing to hurdle. The process continues with Gill and his staff, who have built the fair and rodeo into the exposition that thrives on greatness. Because of that, more than $255,000 was paid out to cowboys and cowgirls last year, with a good portion of that money going to nearly 50 contestants that have qualified for the National Finals Rodeo. “I believe that pioneer spirit and can-do attitude lives on today,” Gill said. “Over the last several years, Gooding has received many awards for the rodeo. I’m certain the founding fathers never envisioned their bucking and roping contests on the polo fields of the 116th Cavalry would be televised across the world 100 years later.”

GUYMON, Okla. – Guymon’s annual rodeo is a major drawing card, not only regionally but with some international flair among the competitors who travel to the Oklahoma Panhandle. The Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo’s Dinner, Dance & Draw Down is becoming almost as popular. Nearly 300 supporters packed into the hospitality building at Henry C. Hitch Pioneer Arena on Saturday, Feb. 15, for the event, which celebrated its 20th year in grand fashion. “The event was a huge success with an amazing turnout,” said Brooke Kitting, the marketing director for the rodeo committee. “We served approximately 275 meals, and the hospitality area was at full capacity.” Established in 2006, the Dinner, Dance & Draw Down has become an important fundraiser for the rodeo committee. Money earned will go toward the expenses that come with producing one of the top events in the sport. There are about 1,000 contestants who annually compete at Pioneer Days Rodeo, the only ProRodeo Hall of Fame event in Oklahoma. More than 1,110 cowboys and cowgirls entered the rodeo last year. This year’s event will feature four performances, set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 2; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 3; and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 4, at the arena. “The Dinner, Dance & Draw Down isn’t just a fundraiser for the rodeo; it’s also a way to help draw awareness and thank our supporters,” said Ken Stonecipher, the rodeo committee’s chairman. “We have some incredible supporters to help make it a success and a fun night for everyone involved.” Because of its 20th celebration, the prize for the draw down was increased to $10,000. It came down to two people, who decided to split the prize to earn $5,000 each. The event also had two rounds of 50/50 prizes, including a grill and a his-and-hers pistol set. Every 18th draw in the round earned door prizes, which had been donated by Wirtz Lumber and Supply, Dancer’s Fine Wine & Liquor, The Ge Spot Treats, Lumber Mart, Refz Sports Bar & Grill, Vallarta Mexican Bar & Grill, Bronze & Beautiful, The Strip Meat Co., L.A. Nails, Today’s Nails, COJO Industrial Sales, Seaboard Foods and Aurora Stonecipher. The food was provided by Hunny’s, and there were several sponsors who helped the event be a success: Refs, Bob’s Cowboy Bar and M&M Hot Oil Services LLC were beer and bar sponsors; Blackmore Livestock Transportation sponsored the entertainment from the Amarillo band 9 Eyes; and Fisch & Hitch sponsored decorations. “We also want to express our gratitude to the Guymon FFA for their incredible help with logistics, ensuring everything ran smoothly through the night, especially for the meal and during clean-up,” Kitting said. It helps solidify the importance of the rodeo, which celebrates its 93rd year this spring. “This community continues to show up for us, and that’s why this event was a success,” Stonecipher said.

GUYMON, Okla. – The premise was simple: Create a fundraiser that would be an enjoyable night out to help raise money and awareness about the community’s biggest annual event. Now, though, the Guymon Pioneer Days Draw Down, Dinner & Dance has become a staple and a chance for like-minded people to come together for a chance to carry on a tradition. This year’s event will take place at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15, in the hospitality building at the Henry C. Hitch Pioneer Arena. “When our committee came up with this idea, we thought it would be a good chance to get the word out and raise a little bit of money for our rodeo,” said Ken Stonecipher, the group’s chairman and a longtime member of the volunteer organization. “We had no idea that it would still be going on this long. Obviously, this has been a big deal for a long time, but we keep doing things to make it bigger and better.” Tickets are $100 per couple and include two prime-rib meals and one draw-down entry. Numbers are drawn one by one, and each draw will eliminate a player. The last number standing wins the grand prize. “We’ve increased our prize to $10,000 for this year to celebrate our anniversary,” Stonecipher said. “That’s something we wanted to do this year for Pioneer Days Rodeo and for the folks in this community who have supported us for so long.” The rodeo will take place the first weekend in May, with performances set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 2; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 3; and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 4, at the arena. The celebration begins, though, two and a half months prior to the opening competition, which typically features around 1,000 contestants. Pioneer Days Rodeo provides the biggest economic impact annually to Texas County, so every aspect of the celebration is vital to Guymon and the surrounding communities. “We’ve had tremendous support over the years,” Stonecipher said. “Our rodeo was one of the first tour events that was nationally televised 25 years ago, and a lot of that goes to how this community comes together for it. We’re still nationally televised and will be part of The Cowboy Channel’s broadcast schedule again. “None of that happens without the people in Guymon, in Texas County, who have been with us for so many years and with the new sponsors and partners we get.” That’s another big reason the Dinner, Draw Down & Dance is important to the rodeo committee; it’s a chance to thank supporters while also providing entertainment that includes live music by 9 Eyes, a band based in Amarillo. “Since the beginning, we’ve always tried to make this a fun night,” Stonecipher said. “We want to continue that for as long as we can.”