Family has tricks of the trade
Garcilazos continue long-time La Cherreria tradition at Gooding Pro Rodeo GOODING, Idaho – The Garcilazo family is made up of showmen – and a show-woman – who not only love to entertain but also have passion for tradition. It drives them across North America and beyond as they perform incredible horsemanship and other talents that […]
Rookie takes Xtreme Bulls title
LOVINGTON, N.M. – As soon as Wacey Schalla turned 18, he opted to test the waters in ProRodeo. It’s a good thing he did. During his freshman season at Clarendon (Texas) College, he won both the all-around a bull riding national championships during the College National Finals Rodeo a month and a half ago in […]
Cowboy having exceptional year
Landingham hoping to continue streak of good fortune at Gooding Pro Rodeo GOODING, Idaho – Bareback rider R.C. Landingham has never lived in Gooding County, but it’s a good place to call home when the opportunities arise. “I’ve spent time there, and when I go through Idaho rodeoing, that’s one of the places I hang […]
Rodeo royalty heading to fair
LOVINGTON, N.M. – During her reign as Miss Rodeo America, Emma Cameron will have traveled approximately 50,000 miles as the official ambassador of ProRodeo. None, though, will be as sweet as those she maneuvers in her home state of New Mexico. She will return to the Lea County Fair and Rodeo, set for 7 p.m. […]
Pope rights himself at Roundup
DODGE CITY, Kan. – Life on the rodeo trail can be special at times. Cowboys make a living eight seconds at a time and get to travel the country doing it. Life on the rodeo trail can be rugged at times. When the results one is seeking aren’t there, cowboys are away from home, and […]
Munsell closing in on her prey
DODGE CITY, Kan. – Growing up in the western Oklahoma hamlet of Arnett, breakaway roper Taylor Munsell made many trips to compete at Roundup Arena. She’s done well at youth rodeos and the amateur rodeos in the storied complex, but she’s never done well at Dodge City Roundup Rodeo. Her luck may be changing this […]
Ropers get fast on Friday
DODGE CITY, Kan. – Team ropers Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira have had a lot of success competing together over the years. They won world championships in 2021 and 2022 and are the No. 1 tandem in the world standings this week with about $130,000 in earnings each. They’ve also had a lot of success […]
Cress is in position to repeat
DODGE CITY, Kan. – For the past several years, Brody Cress has been one of the “rankest” saddle bronc riders in rodeo. He’s made the National Finals Rodeo seven straight times and is on pace to make it eight. He has finished among the top five bronc busters in the world standings five times and […]
Medlin still seeking Lovington title
LOVINGTON, N.M. – Jake McClure Arena is much like home to Logan Medlin. Just 20 minutes or so from his family’s home near Tatum, New Mexico, Medlin cut his teeth roping at the massive arena inside the Lea County Fairgrounds in Lovington. Following in the footsteps of his father, Jeff, being a cowboy is just […]
Yucca hosts a variety of projects
LOVINGTON, N.M. – Just past the main entrance to the Lea County Fairgrounds sits one of the most versatile facilities on the property. Inside the Yucca Building will rest a variety of projects created by a wide age group, from youngsters showing off their photography skills to older folks displaying their gardening prowess to quilters […]
Top stock coming to Gooding
Bucking horses, bulls proving themselves before returning to Idaho GOODING, Idaho – The excellence that’s found at the Gooding Pro Rodeo is also found across North America. “We believe we bring in the best stock contractors in rodeo, and they have some incredible bucking animals that are featured at a lot of rodeos,” said Don […]
Lummus Wills his way to lead
DODGE CITY, Kan. – Over his career, Will Lummus has some amazing accomplishments. He’s won the Calgary Stampede, the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo and the average championship at the National Finals Rodeo, an event he has qualified for each of the past six seasons. He’s a two-time reserve world champion, having finished second […]
Cowboys anticipating Xtreme Bulls
LOVINGTON, N.M. – When the top bull riders in ProRodeo arrive in southeastern New Mexico, they’ll have something big waiting for them. “We’re going to have an even bigger purse for the bull riding,” said Kyle Johnston, a member of the Lea County Fair Board and the rodeo committee chairman. Lea County Xtreme Bulls will […]
Harris rides for Xtreme Bulls title
DODGE CITY, Kan. – It’s been about 10 months since his first one, but Hayden Harris finally secured his second event victory this year. This one might mean as much, if not more. Harris rode Frontier Rodeo’s County Jail for 88.5 points to win the Dodge City Roundup Xtreme Bulls title Tuesday night. “That bull’s […]
Loden offers sounds of rodeo
Acclaimed music director provides the right beats to make event stand out GOODING, Idaho – Jill Franzen Loden was just a teenager when she found her true passion, but she didn’t even know it yet. “I’ve been doing this for 24 years,” said Loden, now in her 18th year as the sound director for the […]
Reina claims Roundup buckle
DODGE CITY, Kan. – Tony Reina has been around ProRodeo for more than three decades. He qualified for the National Finals Rodeo in tie-down roping in 2013 and has made five trips to the Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping. Reina added another prestigious title to his resume Tuesday, winning the Dodge City Roundup Rodeo’s […]
There’s value in livestock showing
LOVINGTON, N.M. – The primary beneficiary of the Lea County Fair and Rodeo has always been youth. From the time the fair’s gates open Friday, Aug. 2, until they close Saturday, Aug. 10, there are plenty of activities to give back to the next generation of county residents that hope to follow in the footsteps […]
Carr makes Lea Co. rodeo elite
LOVINGTON, N.M. – Several years ago, the organizers of the Lea County Fair and Rodeo entrusted the production of it’s ProRodeo to a rising star in the stock-contracting game. Pete Carr Pro Rodeo was established two decades ago, and Lovington’s marquee event was one of the first in the country to bring in the Dallas-based […]
Acts bring familiar faces to town
LOVINGTON, N.M. – Over the decades of excellence at Lovington’s rodeo, there have been repeat winners and people who have found a redemption of sorts. Rodeo can be an unforgiving sport. A misfire during an eight-second ride or run can spell doom, but there’s always something graceful about it, too. The next opportunity offers a […]
Bullfighters are ‘Beer Worthy’
Jestes, Tuckness understand uniqueness of Gooding Pro Rodeo GOODING, Idaho – A decade ago, Nathan Jestes drove into this community for the first time to work as a bullfighter at the Gooding Pro Rodeo. “I remember pulling into town and wondering, ‘Where in the hell am I?’ ” said Jestes, a seven-time nominee for PRCA […]
Fair adds pee wee showmanship
LOVINGTON, N.M. – The Lea County Fair and Rodeo featured a new attraction a year ago, and it might grow into one of the most popular pieces of the annual exhibition. The Lea County Fair Board will begin its second year of the peewee showmanship competition, featuring children between the ages of 5-8. It will […]
Lopp remembered for his giving
DODGE CITY, Kan. – The void that Jeff Lopp left behind has yet to be filled. It’s an empty space that his family hopes to one day occupy, but it’s still too soon. It’s an abandonment with which the community is handling. It’s a long-term relationship that’s been vacated since his death in late December. […]
Pink funds going to special needs
DODGE CITY, Kan. – There are only two certainties in life: Birth and death. The aging process isn’t easy, and death isn’t only for the geriatric. Julie Pinkerton knows that as well as anyone in Ford County. She’s the executive director for Hospice of the Prairie and Prairie Home Health and has been with the […]
Lovington rodeo ups the ante
LOVINGTON, N.M. – It gets plenty hot in this neck of the woods throughout the summer months, but that’s just part of living in a desert. Organizers of the Lea County Fair and Rodeo realize this is part of the equation when it comes to drawing the top contestants in rodeo to town, which is […]