Rocky Mountain high:
Wrangler ProRodeo Tour stop in Greeley kicks off Fourth of July run
Courtesy PRCA
 
       

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – It’s Christmas time. Cowboy Christmas, that is.

        Starting June 26 and running through Independence Day and the following weekend, ProRodeo's world hits the Fourth of July run, also known as Cowboy Christmas. In 13 days, the PRCA is sanctioning 44 rodeos in 21 states and two Canadian provinces – a whopping 31 of those occur between July 2-8.

        The Wrangler ProRodeo Tour’s 15^th stop gets under way at the Greeley Independence Stampede on June 27 and concludes with the Wrangler Tour Round on Independence Day. Also, the Tour’s next venue, the Cody (Wyo.) Stampede starts July 1 and continues through July 4. There are 16 non-Tour rodeos with added money of $4,500 or more in each event, making it a chore for cowboys to pick and choose the events in which to compete.

        That’s enough to get more than a few cowboys to drive a little bit longer, spend a little more and even use air travel to get to as many rodeos as possible. Their seasons may depend on it.

        Here’s the potential of how a feeding-frenzy of rodeos can improve a season: In 2002, roughstock rider Jesse Bail won $33,456 during the period, competing in six states, two countries, traveling nearly 18,000 miles and working for a total of just three minutes.

        Some of the rodeos that cowboys don't want to miss include the World’s Oldest Rodeo (Prescott, Ariz.), July 29-July 4; Rodeo of the Ozarks (Springdale, Ark.), July 1-4; Ponoka (Alberta) Stampede, June 26-July 2; Window Rock (Ariz.) Fourth of July Celebration, July 4-7; St. Paul (Ore.) Rodeo, July 1-4; Oakley (Utah) Independence Day Rodeo, July 4-7; Molalla (Ore.) Buckaroo, July 1-4; the Mandan (N.D.) Rodeo Days, July 2-4; and the Home of Champions (Red Lodge, Mont.), July 2-4.
 

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