The American rodeo is a core piece of culture in the West, and in the mountains hovering above Denver, communities rally around this essence of tradition and identity now more than ever.
It was an estimated record year for the Evergreen Rodeo, according to President Dave Marshall. Some 5,000 to 7,000 people came to witness the spectacle; an event Marshall calls “the staple” of the community in the mountains.
“It’s definitely evolved,” said Marshall, who has been president since 2017, but has been involved in the rodeo for over 30 years. “For the last few years, we have tried to focus on really putting on an entertainment production and trying to embrace our fans and sponsors more … They have truly stepped up and shown us that they are in support of the rodeo. Our sponsorships have increased, and our ticket sales have increased and probably one of the biggest rodeos we’ve ever had in spectators this year.”
Marshall has lived in Evergreen all his life. He’s watched countless parades and rodeos unite the mountain communities on Father’s Day weekends.
It’s a total celebration of heritage and camaraderie that unites generations in tradition through the years, he said.
“I don’t think there’s another event that captures (a sense of) community like the Evergreen Rodeo does,” Marshall said. “When you look at the fact that we have the parade fill up downtown, and then the two performances, we’ve had a ton of people coming out. And to me, it just feels like it’s a hometown reunion, because everybody gets together, and I see people that I don’t see all the time, and it just has a different feeling to me than any other event has.”
As much as he enjoys the parades, the professional cowboys, the fun and games and pageantry that comes with the rodeo every year, it’s the community aspect that stands out to Marshall, he said.
Volunteers are crucial to help put the event on every year, and the willingness and enthusiasm they bring are second to none, adding an exclamation point to an already celebratory get-together.
“Just seeing all the people that have, you know, given their time up to come down and watch it, and spend the money on it, and families sitting there just enjoying it and taking a break from life, it makes all the work worthwhile,” Marshall said.
Plus, new faces are stepping in to keep the rodeo legacy going strong. The next generation is enthusiastic about how integral the event is for the strength of the community and its mountain heritage.
“I think it is a pretty cool thing,” Marshall said. “And we’re starting to even see within our own association, younger generations coming in and helping. Those are going to be our future leaders of the rodeo to keep it going, and that just doesn’t happen without seeing something they want to get involved with.”
Read more at www.evergreenrodeo.com.