Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame board member Daniel Beard stepped to the podium at exactly 1923 military time Monday night, and joking addressed the standing-room-only audience.
“Mike (Allen) and I didn’t know if we were going to be the only ones here tonight,” he said.
A ripple of laughter moved throughout the audience thoroughly ready to kick off the 100th anniversary of the Ellensburg Rodeo with the first lecture of the eight-lecture Rodeo Night at the Museum series scheduled at the local Hall of Fame.
Allen, the founding Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame board member and historian, was tasked Monday with outlining the origins of the Labor Day rodeo that has evolved from humble beginnings to eventually being inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2020.
Standing in the center of the museum dedicated to the preservation of the Ellensburg Rodeo, Allen outlined how ranchers, farmers, Native Americans and community members helped create something that has lasted 100 years.
“Rodeo Night at the Museum is a great idea in celebrating the history of this rodeo. All credit goes to Daniel Beard for coming up with the idea, and what better way to start it off than with Mike Allen,” Hall of Fame board President Kent Lester said.
The rodeo has come a long way from a group of people motivated by a desire to celebrate a vanishing way of life. It continues to hold fast to the ideal of community spirit and the volunteer workforce that has carried it through the decades into the 21st century.
“I never expected to see this kind of turnout,” Allen said. “I think the timing was perfect. I think an hour (delivery) is fine. I was anxious to hear the stories of what people in the audience remember.”
The night was recorded by Home Video Studio and will be made available on the Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame website prior to the next speaker in February.
“The idea is to capture the moment. It’s important to have this history and it comes from the stories that Mike and the others shared,” Home Video Studio owner Tom Ott said. “These are real-life stories in support of what’s going on tonight.”
During the audience participation portion of Monday’s event, Linda Parker shared how her grandfather was involved in the construction and development of the rodeo arena.
Newest Hall of Fame board member Mary Seubert reflected on the cattle roundups and how working cowboys eventually made their way to compete in the rodeo arena.
Xtreme Bulls/Grand Entry/Livestock Housing Director Bill Lowe talked about the volunteer workforce that makes any rodeo tick, and was especially appreciative of the Ellensburg Rodeo volunteers over the years.
“It’s a great committee and it takes volunteers. Like our Top Hands now, people were willing to work for the sake of helping the rodeo,” he said. “It was a big deal when people got together to build the arena.”
The night consisted of rodeo fans, longtime supporters and community members looking to learn more about an event that has made central Washington a destination on the PRCA circuit every September.
Arena Director Rick Cole is quick to point out that “every cowboy in the ProRodeo Hall of Fame has been to Ellensburg at some point in their career.”
Up next on the Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame lecture series on Feb. 23, Kittitas elder Allen Aronica and Wanapum tribal member Jason Buck will outline the Native American influence and the original partner’s contributions.
