The Cody Stampede Rodeo is “riding high” thanks to the influx of summer tourism and is on track to break its own rodeo records for attendance in Summer 2021.
During the latest Cody Club lunch on Monday, Jun. 21, the day’s topic was the rodeo. It seems Summer 2021 is already looking promising for the Rodeo Capital of the World.
The Cody Stampede Board were the featured speakers. Board president Chad Ball and Vice President Justin Lundvall took the podium for a brief “State of the Rodeo” address.
President Ball started by stating the obvious: 2020 was a challenging year for the Cody Stampede and Cody Nite Rodeo.
Just over a year ago, the Cody Stampede Rodeo announced its cancellation for the 4th of July weekend due to COVID-19. The decision was made in conjunction with the other major Wyoming rodeos – Cheyenne Frontier Days, Laramie Jubilee Days, the Sheridan Wyo Rodeo, the Central Wyoming Fair and Rodeo, and the Thermopolis Cowboy Rendezvous.
Then – less than a week later – it was announced that the Cody Stampede Rodeo would proceed as planned for the 4th of July weekend. Despite lower attendance and fewer events, the Cody Stampede Rodeo was the only major Wyoming rodeo in 2020.
Meanwhile, attendance at the Cody Nite Rodeo was severely restricted to prevent the spread of COVID-19. As a result, the first nightly rodeo started almost a month late, on Jun. 20, 2020.
Board president Ball said they accommodated for the unorthodox year by giving sponsors a year off. Their banners and signs were still displayed without the usual associated costs.
Things are much different in 2021. The Cody Nite Rodeo is already packing them in, and the Stampede Rodeo is selling out with two weeks to go.
Regional tourism is exceeding expectations this summer. Yellowstone has its busiest May in history, and Cody is benefitting from that influx of business.
With no COVID-19 restrictions whatsoever, Ball says June 2021 is looking to be “the best June ever” for the Cody Nite Rodeo Board member Larry Allshouse echoed that assessment, saying the bleachers are “jam-packed.”
Ball went on to say the events for the 4th of July are already sold out. While not uncommon, tickets usually sell out a day or two before – not two weeks in advance. This, according to the Stampede Board, is “a promising sign” for the entire Cody Stampede.
Tickets for the rest of the Cody Stampede events – from Jun. 30 to Jul. 3 – are available but in limited supply.
The Cody Nite Rodeo is officially ending on Sept. 5, 2021. However, Xtreme Broncos is scheduled at the Cody Stampede Rodeo Grounds for Sept. 6, ensuring more rodeo fun to be had in Cody.
Ball emphasized the main thing that kept the rodeo afloat in 2020 and is supporting its success in 2021: our local community.
“When we kept the rodeo open last summer, it was 100% for the benefit of Cody,” Ball said. “We always have the best of the best for the Cody Stampede – that’s the number one thing for us.”
The Stampede Board ensures the community gets the most out of the rodeos and rodeo grounds. Throughout the pandemic, the board made the rodeo grounds available for COVID-19 testing in addition to food drives and training for local law enforcement.
Now, everyone is looking forward to a possible record-breaking season of rodeo for the Cody Stampede and Cody Nite Rodeos. And in Summer 2021, it’s a distinct possibility they’ll achieve those goals.
“So far, it’s all going great,” Ball says.
