SPOONER– The excitement is only a week away! Get ready for the legendary 70th Spooner Heart of the North Rodeo July 11-13!
Spooner Rodeo fans can expect to see many of professional rodeo’s top cowboy and cowgirl competitors as they tangle with the world-class stock provided by Barnes PRCA Rodeo. It’s a great Spooner summertime tradition that began way back in 1954.
The talented contestants from around the country will compete for points and prize money that could help them qualify for the National Finals Rodeo in December at Las Vegas.
The 69th Spooner Rodeo last July was a record breaker. A combination of record ticket sales, great action inside the arena, spectacular special acts and perfect weather all combined to make the 69th Spooner Rodeo the very best ever held. It was the first Rodeo ever where all three performances were sold out.
And Dick Fankhauser, Spooner Rodeo chairman for the past 37 years, reports that ticket sales this year are even ahead of last year at this point.
“Yes, ticket sales are ahead of last year,” he said recently at the Spooner Rodeo BBQ, which kicks off the Spooner Rodeo season. “Right now, everything for Friday and Saturday on the west side are gone, and others are selling fast.”
Fankhauser recalled when it wasn’t like that.
“My first year as chairman, we cleared $2.50, and it rained all three days,” he said. “Either the good Lord likes rodeo or He likes us, because he sure has been good to us the last few years.”
Fans attending the 70th Spooner Rodeo can expect even more great pro rodeo action and fun this year. They can also look forward to shopping at the vendors’ booths all three days, special happenings at each show, prizes, great music after each rodeo performance and much, much more.
Popular pro rodeo announcer Kelly Kenney will be back on horseback inside the area to call all the action at the 70th Spooner Rodeo. Over the years, he has become something of an honorary Spooner citizen, and very much a great friend of many people in the area.
Professional trick and Roman rider Lindy Lica began trick riding at the age of 10. She has been performing rodeos, Wild West shows and dinner theaters over half of her life and will be in Spooner July 11-13 to thrill Spooner Rodeo fans.
Rodeo clown and bullfighter Gizmo McCracken, the “2017 Comedy Act of the Year,” is considered the finest in the sport and will return to the Spooner Rodeo Arena this summer to help the community celebrate the historic 70th.
McCracken has worked 19 PRCA Circuit Finals Rodeos in 10 of the 12 circuits. He worked the 2023 NFR OPEN, Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo, Cheyenne Frontier Days, was nominated “Coors Man in the Can” three times, was nominated “Clown of the Year” in 2017 and nominated for Comedy Act of the year 11 times.
He offers a good, clean, family-friendly brand of comedy but is always right on the spot to help out a cowboy who might need help in the arena.
Last year, entertainer Savannah Rae delighted Spooner Rodeo fans, and she is returning for the 70th with her crowd-pleasing country-rock music. She is one of the hottest acts going, a veteran of “The Voice,” a featured act on the main stage at the Texas State Fair and an opening act for Jasen Aldean.
Rae will perform live following Spooner Rodeo performances at 10 p.m. on Thursday, July 11; Friday, July 12; and Saturday, July 13. Kick up your heels and enjoy dancing under the stars to the music of one of the fast risers on the country music scene.
Exceptional Rodeo for special needs children will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 11. The heart-tugging 45 minutes of fun and excitement is presented by the Spooner Rodeo Committee. It is the experience of a lifetime for the young special needs contestants and their families, as the kids are partnered with cowboys and cowgirls who assist them with taking part in specially designed rodeo events. Steer roping, stick horse riding, flag races and exciting eight-second rides aboard a hand-rocked horse and bull are some of the unique thrills the young contestants will experience. They also get to ride a real horse and round the arena on a horse-drawn wagon.
If that isn’t enough, rodeo fans can look forward to the excitement and thrills of three live rodeo performances by the best competitors and toughest stock in the sport. The kids will enjoy the Friday and Saturday night Nickel Scramble for Kids, as well as Mutton Bustin’ on the backs of sheep.
Start Saturday with the Spooner Rodeo Stampede 5K, then line up for the Spooner Rodeo Parade at noon. The huge Spooner Rodeo Parade offers more than 100 units, bands, floats, Native American dancers, horses galore, emergency vehicles, fire trucks and more. Thousands of excited onlookers line the parade route each year.
Follow that up with the great Lions Club Bar-B-Que back at the Spooner Rodeo grounds. It is great food and a chance to relax a little before the big rodeo performances.
On Sunday, enjoy Breakfast at the Rodeo Grounds starting at 7 a.m. At 9 a.m., there will be Cowboy Church Service at the Rodeo grounds.
For tickets, call 800.367.3306 (9 a.m. to 4 p.m. only). Tickets can be purchased over the counter at Washburn County Information Center, 122 River St. Spooner. To purchase tickets online, go to www.spoonerrodeo.com.
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