With the Rodeo Arena Interlocal Cooperative supporting upgrades to Stampede Park, the Will Rogers Stampede continues to have big crowds watch the action every Memorial Day weekend.
(PHOTO BY ROBBY FREEMAN)

 

CLAREMORE, Okla. – Over the last decade, the Will Rogers Stampede has gone from a blossoming product to a full-fledged extravaganza.

That’s thanks to the Rodeo Arena Interlocal Cooperative, which has expanded the mission of the Will Rogers Roundup Club and its award-winning ways into a highly anticipated event. Organizers are expecting crowds to once again flock to this year’s rodeo, set for 8 p.m. Friday, May 22-Sunday, May 24, at RCB Bank Arena in Stampede Park at Claremore. Gates open at 6 p.m., with mutton bustin’ and other entertainment beginning at 7.

“The roundup club has been around for years and years and has always had a lot of nice volunteers and worker bees,” said Louie Gardner, a Rogers County businessman and chairman of the coop. “As time went on, things became tougher to get accomplished, and they also became very expensive to get accomplished.

“As far as a quality of life and a good venue to keep kids interested in FFA and all kinds of things, the rodeo needed a better direction. The coop became a benefit; we have a way to obtain funds from the county and from the city. With those funds, we have been able to redirect the rodeo and the rodeo grounds.”

The cooperative now owns the rodeo grounds and has been able to make significant upgrades to the property near Claremore Lake. That type of infrastructure improvements has not only changed the look of the complex but also has helped the rodeo status citywide, state wide and regionally.

The five-member board helps direct funds to assist with the rodeo and the upgrades, said Marshall Perkins, one of the directors. He and Gardner are joined by Rogers County Commissioner Dan DeLozier, Claremore City Manager John Feary and Amber Gillian, a vice president at BancFirst.

“We are allotted money from both the city and county every year for improvements on the facility,” said Perkins, a former rodeo cowboy and pickup man who has been part of the stampede since 2015. “My top priority is that we have got to take care of contestants.

“We want to draw better contestants, and, with that, we’re hoping to draw more people to the rodeo. Of course, we also want better viewing for the spectators.”

Every aspect of the rodeo goes hand-in-hand with its growth. This year’s stampede has nearly 850 contestants scheduled to compete. That’s a record list of entries for the rodeo that will celebrate its 80th year over Memorial Day weekend.

“We try to increase our added (local) money every year, and we have top-notch hospitality,” Perkins said. “Contestants need special accommodations, and we try to do everything possible to accommodate every contestant that comes, from special requests to just making sure somebody from our rodeo is shaking their hand as soon as they walk to the gate.”

That frame of mind is why the Will Rogers Stampede has been named PRCA Small Rodeo of the Year six times since 2014. Those honors have tracked well, and the reflection will be seen during the 2026 edition of Claremore’s marquee event.

It’s a much different rodeo than it was 15 years ago, and credit goes to the cooperative, the volunteers, the sponsors and the community that supports it.

“We have been blessed that we have done nothing but grow the last five or so years and continue to grow almost to a capacity limit, where we almost need more room,” Gardner said. “The coop is so intricate that they have the funding and the wherewithal to continue to improve the facility for a big rodeo while also continuing to be a place for the roundup club to have play days and other things that can start coming.

“The coop’s main objective is that they are in charge of the facility maintenance and future growth.”

The complex shows the signs of a good facelift. It was necessary, and the rewards keep coming.

“Back when I was a contestant in the early 2000s, the facilities were a little bit rough,” Perkins said. “I don’t know if the rodeo would even still be a thought today if it had not been for the coop.

“The community has gotten behind it. It’s unreal. We’re sold out every night. I think we’ve got to figure out a way to add more bleachers. I think the team behind the scenes – the ones making sure the production is good with Frontier and (announcer) Scott Grover – makes it a show that everybody wants to see.”

Based in Freedom, Oklahoma, Frontier Rodeo is an 11-time PRCA Stock Contractor of the Year. Grover has been the voice of the Will Rogers Stampede since 2005, when he was still new to the game and shared the microphone with Rogers County legend Clem McSpadden.

Like virtually all professional sports, contests also hold an entertainment value. Producing a quality show helps attract bigger audiences. Rodeo also lends its name to Western heritage in the United States. It’s a tip of the cowboy hat to ranchers and horsemen. It provides urban residents with a test drive of what the Wild West was like.

“Rodeo has evolved into a venue of its own, and it’s actually a show to watch,” Gardner said. “City folks kind of get a glimpse for a few nights – or even just one night – what it used to be like in Claremore and in Oklahoma and how a lot of ranches still operate that way.

“In my opinion, the rodeo for Claremore gives folks insight, a time to reflect on how history was and how it still is.”