SPRINGDALE : Rodeo of the Ozarks raises the stakes
Posted on Friday, June 13, 2008
Organizers of the Rodeo of the Ozarks on Thursday touted significant upgrades this year for the largest outdoor venue of its kind in Northwest Arkansas.
The 64 th annual rodeo, which runs July 1-4 at Parsons Stadium in Springdale, boasts a prestigious new tour designation, four concerts by national acts and bigger cash prizes.
Beer will be sold for the first time at the rodeo, one of only 26 in the country designated as a stop on the Wrangler ProRodeo Tour.
“We decided to get a lot more aggressive,” rodeo trustee Steve Smith said. “We started looking at our rodeo and thought we’d gotten a little complacent.” The Wrangler tour includes three of the top four prize-money rodeos sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. The quest for more tour points and more money has attracted some of the nation’s top cowboys.
This year’s rodeo will showcase horses and bulls from premier stock contractor Smith Harper & Morgan Rodeo Co., the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s 2007 contractor of the year.
“The better the animal you ride the more points you get for that ride,” the rodeo board’s Smith said. “It’s going to be a good rodeo.” The rodeo will offer an extra $ 10, 000 in prize money per event this year.
“That’s what brings in the champions,” said John Gladden, rodeo board president.
Among the top riders expected this year are 2005 bull riding world champ Matt Austin, 2006 bull riding world champ B. J. Schumacher, and Wes Stevenson, the 2006 bareback bronco champ in Springdale.
One of the corporate sponsors is Budweiser. Gladden said he and the board agonized over the decision to sell beer. The rodeo markets itself as a family friendly event.
However, two recent events at Parsons Stadium — a demolition derby and a monster truck competition — didn’t report any problems.
“People haven’t just been standing there drinking and drinking and getting drunk,” Gladden said.
The rodeo grounds have been improved since last year. Seating was removed from the north end to help improve the sound system, and the cowboys’ lounge and locker room have been renovated.
Another addition this year is a country music concert each night, with Confederate Railroad, Sarah Johns, John Anderson and Highway 101 as the headliners. Smith said as the concert series takes root, the rodeo will be able to attract bigger and bigger acts.
“I don’t think it’ll be as big this year as it will be in the future,” Smith said.
High gas prices could actually benefit the rodeo, he said.
“People aren’t traveling as far, but they still want entertainment,” Smith said. “You’ll have to go a long way, like out west, to find a better rodeo than ours.”
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