Overland Stage Stampede Rodeo is back on its hooves

A few years ago, the city of Green River thought about disbanding the Overland Stage Stampede Rodeo, a Green River tradition for many years. Numbers of contestants and spectators were consistently down.

A new committee took charge of the rodeo in 2013 and have been on a journey to get the rodeo back on its feet, or hooves.

Rodeo committee member spokesperson Chris Davis, presented new numbers to the Green River City Council at the Oct. 6 City Council meeting, and they are up.

This year, at the 2015 Overland Stage Stampede Rodeo, there were about 2,000 spectators in the stands over the two-day span of the rodeo.

Davis said there were about 700- to-800 spectators present on Friday, and more than 1,200 spectators at the rodeo Saturday.

As far as contestants go, there were 220 competing in rodeo events over the weekend. Contestants in the rodeo were from Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, Idaho and Utah.

“All across the board, it’s gotten better over the last three years,” Davis said.

Davis said over the last three years the rodeo committee has been reaching out to businesses, people and various entities for advertising and sponsorships, as well as coming up with new ideas and adding new events.

Last year and continuing this year, the Mini Bare Backs event, for kids ages six to nine, and 10 to 14.

“That’s brought in a lot of people,” Davis said. “There were more kids signed up than there were stock to ride.”

Davis said the event is one that people of the area have really gotten behind.

“It’s definitely a crowd pleaser,” he said. “That’s the future of the sport right there.”

New to the rodeo this year was a live band performance after the night’s events. The committee brought in Chancey Williams and the Younger Brothers band.

Davis says it’s the people that make the difference.

“We’ve just got a great group of people that understand rodeo and know how to bring it all together,” Davis said.

The growth and popularity of the rodeo rising in the past years Davis attributes to the people; the people involved in the rodeo and the spectators who come and enjoy themselves and tell their family and friends about it. Davis said it’s good, family-fun entertainment, and the ticket prices are the lowest from anyware around.

“Its got to be word of mouth,” Davis said.

“It’s the quality of the show, the crew, we as a committee pride ourselves in putting on a good show. When you put on that good of a show people want to show up.”