What was Redding Rodeo Week like 40, 50 years ago? These photos show you.

The 2024 Rodeo Week kicked off in Redding with a steak feed and dance last Saturday, followed by the usual staged bank robbery that its beloved bandits, the Lone Stranger and Sidekick, successfully pull off every year without getting caught.

The mock holdup happened on Tuesday, and hours later, a woman claimed the loot after discovering it under a bench at Redding Municipal Airport.

As Redding marks its 76-year history of rodeos and cowboy and cowgirl activities that bring the community together, the Record Searchlight dug into the archive for past newspaper editions of what life was like during rodeo week.

Here are images from rodeo weeks held during the 1970s and 1980s. Do you recognize any of the Asphalt Cowboys or a child who may have been participating in the Kiddie Pet Parade?

On Wednesday, Redding turns its attention to opening night at the Redding Rodeo arena. That will be followed by family night on Thursday, and on Friday, downtown Redding transforms itself into Roaring Gulch where the Asphalt Cowboys hold their ceremonial pancake breakfast for thousands of hungry residents.