What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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JUNE 23-29, 2019 WHAT'S UP! 3 Rodeo of the Ozarks WHEN — Gates open at 6 p.m. June 26-29 WHERE — Parsons Stadium in Springdale COST — $7-$38 INFO — 756-0464, rodeooftheozarks.org BONUS — There will be a parade at 3 p.m. June 29 on Emma Avenue. Rope, Tie, Win Rodeo remains a tradition for many ELIZABETH GREEN NWA Democrat-Gazette T he history of rodeos in Northwest Arkansas runs deep, dating back to 1926 when Springdale's first rodeo took place at a local ball park. Nearly two decades later, in 1945, two construction workers from Oklahoma came to Springdale and started a tradition that has lasted 75 years. The Rodeo of the Ozarks has come a long way from the wooden bleachers and hand-rigged bucking chutes of the early 20th century; today, steel under-framed bleachers can seat more than 10,000 people. In 2008, the rodeo was ranked as one of the top five large outdoor rodeos in the United States. It is estimated to have a $6 million to $7 million impact on Northwest Arkansas, according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas. The rodeo, however, would not be possible without the countless hours of volunteer work that make the event a success each year. The history of volunteering at the rodeo dates back just as far as the rodeo itself. Marie Demeroukas, the photo archivist and research librarian at the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History, says the Rodeo of the Ozarks was a matter of civic pride when it began in 1945. "The whole town was involved," Demeroukas says. She says both community leaders and merchants at the time worked to make the rodeo a success by seeking out talented performers, promoting the event through traveling caravans and staging entertainment such as parades, square dance contests and stagecoach rides. Those early rodeo leaders and organizers included prominent figures such as poultryman John Tyson, grocer Don Harp and livestock men Shorty Parsons and Dempsey Letsch. Parsons and Letsch owned the Farmer's Livestock Sales Barn on Emma Avenue, where the rodeo started. Nowadays, Parsons Stadium attracts thousands of people to Springdale each year to watch cowboys and cowgirls compete for more than $100,000 in prizes. The Rodeo of the Ozarks has more than 20 volunteer committees working year- round to organize events that occur both during the rodeo and throughout the year, according to its website. For many people, being a part of the rodeo's success has become a family tradition. Kaci Johnson volunteered with the Rodeo of the Ozarks as a child in the 1980s. In order to have enough manpower at the rodeo, Johnson says bids were awarded to organizations that wanted to volunteer. Her school, Ozark Christian Academy, won a bid to serve concessions; the school was allowed to keep some of the profits, while a percentage went back to the rodeo. She and other kids were charged with carrying trays around the arena, selling food and drinks, she remembers. "I would say a lot of volunteer hours are in place at the rodeo in order to make it function properly," Johnson says. Johnson recalls the Rodeo of the Ozarks used to occur every year during the Fourth of July weekend. It was a big deal, she says, as there was a grand fireworks display on the Fourth, as well as two parades. The decision to have the event on the Independence Day holiday can be traced back to Springdale's long tradition of COVER STORY FAQ See Rodeo Page 37 Courtesy Photo Nelson Hency (far right) with his daughter, Amanda Young, and her son, Isaac, and husband, Lance, enjoy the 2018 Rodeo of the Ozarks. Young says the event has always been a part of her family. Now, she is continuing the tradition with her own son.