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2022 National Western Stock Show and Rodeo ends amid COVID-19

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The National Western Stock Show came to end this weekend with smaller crowds than in years past due to the ongoing pandemic.

Despite the smaller turnout, those who did attend said they had a great time enjoying the festivities and getting to see all the animals.

This year, the highly infectious omicron variant of COVID-19 swept through the state, causing more than a hundred thousand people to stay away from the National Western Stock Show.

About 586,000 people visited the 116th National Western Stock Show, which ended Sunday. That’s down from pre-pandemic attendance by about 18%, spokeswoman Karen Woods said in a news release.

Last year’s show was canceled due to the outbreak of the pandemic. The stock show in 2020 drew around 708,000 attendees, and the event had just over 700,000 people attending the two years prior.

The annual Denver Livestock Show and Rodeo is one of the biggest events in north Denver. The event includes livestock auctions, horse shows and rodeos, as well as hundreds of booths at an indoor trade show. The show saw its highest-ever attendance during its 100th anniversary in 2006, when about 726,000 people visited.

Organizers say they are already planning for next year’s show and are hopeful that things will be back to normal by then.

National Western president Paul Andrews said today, “We are grateful to have hosted this epic event. We are blown away by the support and outreach from the nearly 600,000 guests who came back to celebrate the western lifestyle that is so important to so many.”

Although Colorado has been seeing a recent surge in COVID-19 cases due to the omicron variant, this year’s stock show still took place. The show did require all attendees to wear masks indoors, though some people said this policy was not enforced strictly enough. It should be noted that organizers of the event did not make it a requirement for either competitors or attendees to be vaccinated against the virus.

The Junior Livestock Auction on Friday was one of the final events of the stock show. The Grand Champion steer sold for a record high of $160,000, and the top eight animals sold for a combined $519,000, Woods said in a release.

The majority of the money goes straight to the young people who raised the animals, 10% of which is put into the National Western Scholarship Trust in order to fund scholarships at colleges located in Colorado and Wyoming.

Strathmore Stampede Parade is returning to kick off the weekend!

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The annual Strathmore Stampede Parade is returning this Saturday at 9 am, and over 60 floats will be there!

This year’s parade is being organized by the Strathmore Wheatland Chamber of Commerce (SWCC), and the Past Chair of SWCC Hayley Poirier says they’re looking forward to putting on a great show.

“We’re really excited to be able to take this role on from the Town of Strathmore and run with it. We want to make sure that we continue to be a leader in our community, our business community, as well as our events community. So when this was presented to us we felt it was a natural fit for us,” she said.

Poirier explained we’ll be getting a big and diverse crowd for this parade.

“There will be our usual participants in the parade that we normally see, that’s our dignitaries, as well as some of our royalty from the different communities and the princesses. So we’re looking forward to seeing all of our dignitaries. And then we have a lot of different families and businesses and organizations who have signed up to also be a part of the parade. It is something that we look forward to annually, and this year will be no different.”

Some of the people you can expect to see are Miss Strathmore Stampede Martina Holtkamp, as well as Rodeo Queens from surrounding areas like Rimbey, Sundre, Teepee Creek and more!. Chestermere-Strathmore MLA Leela Sharon Aheer, Bow River MP Martin Shields, Mayor Pat Fule and Town Council will all be there, and Wheatland County Council has also been invited.

The Stampede Parade has always been a wonderful community event for everyone to get involved, and Poirier said that’s what she’s most excited about.

“It’s very much a rural feeling of belonging, so people are cheering along, there’s music going, there’s a lot of laughter. We love participation from our people that are in the parade as well as the people that are watching, so you really get this sense of belonging. The thing that we’re (SWCC) looking forward to the most is having another opportunity for our communities to be able to get out and celebrate and be together. the Strathmore stampede really stands for community involvement.”

She added candy and other small items will be handed out at the parade.

Source: strathmorenow.com

Nearly 600,000 people attend 2022 National Western Stock Show

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This year’s National Western Stock Show has come and gone, but before its gates closed Sunday until next January, more than half a million people in cowboy boots, buckles and hats took in the show.

Despite hosting 586,756 people over a 16-day period, attendance was down 18% from previous record-breaking years prior to the pandemic, organizers said.

“We have been fortunate to see record-breaking attendance year after year, prior to the pandemic,” said Paul Andrews, the president and CEO of the show. “Today we are grateful to have hosted this epic event. We are blown away by the support and outreach from the nearly 600,000 guests who came back to celebrate the western lifestyle that is so important to so many.”

Organizers canceled the stock show in 2021 due to COVID-19 concerns, marking only the second cancellation since its inception in 1906.

Read also: National Western Stock Show and Rodeo Schedule

Although attendance dropped, the amount of money gained during the auctions broke records, with bidders spending $1.1 million, $110,000 more than the previous record.

The top eight champions for the Junior Livestock Auction accounted for nearly half of the total as the animals brought in over $510,000. The grand champion steer sold for a record $160,000, organizers said.

Other events such as the Citizen of the West dinner and Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale also earned an estimated $800,000.

All three are major funding events for the National Western Scholarship Trust, which provides scholarships to exhibitors and others who attend colleges and universities in Colorado and Wyoming.

One hundred and ten scholarships were funded through the trust this year and range between $2,500 and $15,000, organizers said.

Source: Denver Gazette

National Western Stock Show parade canceled

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With weather forecasts calling for snow and “dangerously low temperatures,” National Western Stock Show officials canceled the downtown parade and an event planned at McGregor Square in Denver on Thursday.

“We will not risk animal safety with slick streets,” President and CEO Paul Andrews said Tuesday. “Being right isn’t always popular; and being popular isn’t always right. We made the right decision, although a very tough one here.”

Horse experts have said the rubber covers used to protect horses’ hooves on pavement become hardened in the cold, and thus slippery.

“After meeting with weather professionals, veterinarians, livestock and horse experts, we have decided to cancel the parade this Thursday,” Andrews said in a statement. “The forecast calls for snow Wednesday evening and continuing through the night. The larger problems are the single-digit temperatures and high winds making for icy conditions.

Read also: Nearly 600,000 people attend 2022 National Western Stock Show

“Due to the risk for the parade entries traveling to Denver in high-profile vehicles hauling animals and hitches, as well as the risk for the animals along the parade route, the decision has been made to cancel.”

After the 2021 show was canceled because of COVID-19 concerns, many were looking forward to this year’s kickoff parade, where longhorn steers march down 17th Street and end up in the lobby of the posh Brown Palace Hotel.

First responders were going to be this year’s grand marshal — a first, instead of one or two people serving as grand marshal.

While the 16-day show opens Saturday morning at the Stock Show grounds and Denver Coliseum, Friday is going to be a big day with the ribbon cutting for the new stockyards and the Colorado State University Spur campus, which hosts an event for the new Vida building Friday afternoon.

There’s also high national interest — livestock owners from 42 states registered to show animals at the 2022 show, which runs through Jan. 23. More than 700,000 people are expected to participate in the celebration of agriculture, rodeo, commerce and Western heritage, Andrews said.

News source: gazette.com