The Greeley Stampede still reigns supreme as the largest 4th of July rodeo in the country. Having been raised in a city on the east coast, I had never experienced a real rodeo until after graduating from college. In 1976 I moved to Greeley, Colorado which was home of one of the largest feedlots in the world, Monfort of Colorado and appropriately the largest 4th of July rodeo known as the Greeley Stampede.
I quickly was indoctrinated into rural America - vast farmlands and ranches and huge feedlots. The entire community embraced the Stampede - the event lasted a full week filled with concerts, a carnival, exhibits, food and competitions, a huge parade and, of course, the Rodeo!
Thousands of hours by 100's of volunteers are needed to plan and execute this huge event. People travel from all over the US as well as internationally to see some of the top rodeo performers compete throughout the week. The top 12 finalists in the different divisions face off on the 4th of July!
I moved away from Greeley around 1987 so after many years, I decided it was time to revisit the Stampede. Before heading north, I took advantage of discount tickets to the rodeo at our local grocery store. I arrived at the Island Grove Fairgrounds early enough to visit the western art exhibit, peak in on the roller derby competition and grab a bite to eat before the rodeo began.
The roller derby costumes were quite outrageous. This is the first year at the Stampede for this competition.
The rodeo began at 1 p.m. and highlights included bronco riding where cowboys have to remain on the horse for 8 seconds to qualify and score.
The barrel racing combined technical skills with speed.
When it came to bullriding, the bulls seemed to be winning.
Calf roping:
Notice the clown inside the barrel!
Rodeo Royalty:
By the time the rodeo ended it was time to head back to the food booths. I couldn't resist the steak on a stick!
After lunch, I wandered through some of the vendors - lots of western clothing, boots, belt buckles and, of course, hats!
As I was leaving, a display of classic cars caught my eye:
So after a great day of sunshine and cowboys, I headed back to Denver and hung up my cowboy hat for another year.
Blooming for you!
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