Western good time
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — On Sept. 23, 1897, the inaugural Cheyenne Frontier Day rodeo erupted into chaos. Wild horses broke free and stampeded toward the flimsy, six-row-high wooden bleachers. Spectators scrambled for safety as the horses smashed the bleachers into a splintered heap.
Miraculously, no one was hurt — and thus was born a rip-snortin’, wild and woolly, Western good time.
Cheyenne Frontier Days is now a nine-day celebration attracting 200,000 people a year. The 108th edition opens July 23.
Rodeo is still the main event. About 1,800 contestants vie for a share of a $1 million-plus purse in bull riding, calf and steer roping, barrel racing, saddle and bareback bronc riding, steer wrestling and the legendary wild horse race.
Each performance opens with patriotism and pageantry, accented by rodeo queens astride elegant horses. Then it’s four hours of nonstop roping and riding, along with trick riders and rodeo clowns.
Evening concerts this year feature George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Randy Travis, Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, ZZ Top and the Marshall Tucker Band. New jumbo screens, a better sound system and enhanced amenities for people with disabilities are among improvements at Frontier Park.
Ken McCann, Frontier Days general chairman, said the celebration attracts those drawn by the excitement of rodeo — where a bone-crushing wreck is ever-present — and the chance to step back into the Old West.
“Frontier Days represents a simpler time, and we have a tendency to hold in high esteem those skills that maybe we can’t duplicate ourselves,” he said.
Indeed, few people can handle a rope or ride a spinning bull like the cowboys at Cheyenne.
“I think rodeo is certainly one of the original American events. And let’s face it — these contestants are just like any other professional athlete,” McCann said. “They work very hard for their money.”
About 2,500 volunteers help stage the spectacle, which bills itself as “The Daddy of ‘em All.” Organizers say its four parades feature the world’s largest collection of horse-drawn vehicles and Western-style floats. Free breakfasts of flapjacks, ham and coffee are offered downtown.
Wild Horse Gulch, a re-created Old West town, features blacksmithing, leatherworking, Western crafts and goods, and costumed characters.
A Western art show, mock gunfights, American Indian dancers, melodramas, a carnival round out the fun, topped by a free show by the Air Force Thunderbirds.
While you’re there, take a look at Cheyenne’s other attractions, including the gold-domed state Capitol, Old West Museum, Wyoming State Museum, Historic Governor’s Mansion, Botanic Gardens and “Big Boy,” a gigantic steam locomotive.