GUNNISON, Colo. – The annual Cattlemen’s Days celebration does more for the community than most people realize.

Sure, this is a chance to reconnect with friends and family while also enjoying all the comforts that come with a county fair. Cattlemen’s Days also offers plenty of entertainment, from great food selections to the carnival to the ProRodeo. It’s valuable to the people who live in this Rocky Mountain town or call Gunnison County home.

Still, Cattlemen’s Days goes way beyond that. The annual festival is week-long boom to the businesses in town, from full hotels and restaurants to busy fuel stops and vibrant local shops.

“In doing the math, we can figure that the economic impact to Gunnison for Cattlemen’s Days is worth millions of dollars,” said Kevin Coblentz, a longtime member of the organizing committee and a local business owner. “The food vendors were making between $2,000 and $4,000 a night just during the rodeo time.

“Every dollar that comes from Cattlemen’s Days is spent right here. Sure, we put on Cattlemen’s Days for this community, but the benefit to the community extends a lot further than just what happens at the fairgrounds.”

These are building blocks, not only for the celebration but also for the people that support it. When a community thrives, local thrive. There’s a reciprocating effect to it, too.

“I’d say per pound, our 4H sale is one of the biggest in the state,” Coblentz said, referring to the total dollars in relation to the number of animals shown. “We’ve always had some amazing support for our Junior Livestock Auction.”

The auction is one of the few remaining that sell by the pound instead of by the head.  

“We’ve had a lot of our kids that have funded their education by selling livestock,” he said. “They totally paid for their college education from that.”

It’s a tell-tale sign of the importance of Cattlemen’s Days. The event is organized by a core group of volunteers who pride themselves on being community-minded.

“I’ve asked around, and I believe we are the only stand-alone rodeo – small or medium sized – that is totally funded by our ticket sales, our liquor sales and our sponsorships,” he said. “Other than a city grant we receive every year, we are totally funded by our own hustle.”

It also helps that the PRCA rodeo is the only Western event in Gunnison that is nationally televised. Cattlemen’s Days has been aired on The Cowboy Channel and its app for several years.

“We’ve also made it to where Cattlemen’s Days has no administrative costs to it. There are no paid employees. We pay an accounting firm to do our taxes. Our officers used to get a stipend to help with general expenses – like postage – that comes our way, but we don’t do that anymore. All of that money goes right back to the community, scholarships and other things that are important to us.”

That’s the mindset that has helped festival organizers give back to the county residents and why Cattlemen’s Days is such an asset to the Gunnison Valley.