Friday, April 8, 2011

Deadwood's Days of ’76 Committee to enter Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame


-- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE --
Deadwood's Days of ’76 Committee
to enter Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame

DEADWOOD (4/8/2011) - Deadwood’s Days of ’76 Rodeo award list continues to grow. This time, though, it’s an award that recognizes the work behind the scenes. The Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame this week voted the Days of ’76 committee into its doors. The official induction ceremony will be held July 16 at Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame’s headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colo.

The Days of ’76, with its consecutive string of “Best Medium Outdoor Rodeo of the Year” awards, has been a staple of Deadwood’s summers for nearly 90 years. The committee members’ work in coordinating the five-day event, with both rodeos and parades, and their commitment to the sport of rodeo helped them make it into the Hall of Fame. The committee is also a 13-time winner of the Badlands Circuit Rodeo of the Year Award – annually since 1998 – and prize money has increased 600 percent over the last 20 years.

“This is definitely humbling. The Days of ’76 committee works year-long to bring the best event to Deadwood, and it is always nice to be recognized. But this is something we truly were not expecting, and it’s truly an honor to be selected into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame,” said Jon Mattson, a Days of ’76 committee for more than 30 years. “We continue to have a strong connection with professional rodeo, and when our new $5.5 million Days of ’76 Museum opens next year, we will have a PRCA Room to help us show it.”

With the Black Hills as a backdrop, the log grandstands, historic parades and Wild Bill Hickok pageantry that go with the rodeo, the Days of ‘76 Rodeo has been a favored destination for generations of rodeo contestants.

“This committee has worked tirelessly to improve, add more money and give the cowboys and fans the best show possible,” said Clint Johnson, four-time world champion saddle bronc rider and Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame inductee.

The Days of ’76 Committee will be inducted during a ceremony on July 16 at the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame and Museum of the American Cowboy in Colorado Springs. The 18-person Days of ’76 committee along with Deadwood dignitaries will be on hand for the celebration, which includes a Cowboy Ball, the Commissioner’s Classic Team Roping and a special rodeo.

Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame inductees are selected by a committee of former contestants, PRCA officials and rodeo experts. More than 150 individuals are nominated each year, and selection is based on contributions to the sport of professional rodeo in any of seven categories: contestant, contract personnel, stock contractors, rodeo committees, livestock, media, notables and lifetime achievement.

Other inductees in 2011 include the late three-time World Champion cowboy Burel Mulkey, two-time World Champion Bareback Rider Lan LaJeunesse, PRCA Chairman of the Board and longtime San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer Keith Martin and the late three-time PRCA Bucking Horse of the Year War Paint, trick rider/roper J.W. Stoker.

Including this year’s inductees, 221 people, 26 animals and 17 rodeo committees have been selected for enshrinement in Colorado Springs since the Hall opened in 1979.

More information on the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame can be found at  www.prorodeohalloffame.com.

-1876-

Media Contact:
Lee Harstad, Deadwood Chamber
(605) 578-1876
(605) 920-0537 (cell)
lee@deadwood.org

0 comments:

Post a Comment