The 2025 Elizabeth Stampede started off with a bang and a Stampede tradition — thunderstorms and torrential rain, which did little to deter festivities. The sloshing mud at Casey Jones Park only made the Chase Rice concert on June 5 that much more memorable. The popular Elizabeth Stampede Rodeo regularly boasts sold-out crowds and creates a steady line of traffic down Highway 86.
Kallie Russell, this year’s Elizabeth Stampede Queen, said the role of the Stampede can’t be underestimated. “The Elizabeth Stampede is more than just a rodeo — it’s embodied the heart of our town,” she said. “This rodeo brings our community together, supports local businesses, and honors the Western way of life that defines Elizabeth. This is an event that means so much to so many. The passion, the volunteers, the families — this rodeo is truly the soul of our summer.”
After the Thursday night concert, the rodeo continued through the weekend of June 6-8, with the Hometown Heroes Chute Out on Friday, the Colorado Ag Appreciation PRCA Rodeo and Tough Enough to Wear Pink PRCA Rodeo on Saturday and the Red, White, And Blue PRCA Rodeo on Sunday.
The accompanying ElizaBash Parade, hosted by the Elizabeth Area Chamber of Commerce, rolled through the town on Saturday morning of Saturday, June 7 followed by the ElizaBash Street Festival on Main Street. Rodeo royalty from around Colorado and other states, Marines, Elizabeth Fire, the American Legion and local businesses helped make the parade a success.
Elizabeth Area Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Mary Martin said attendance was up from past years. “We estimated around 3,500 people descended upon Elizabeth both for the parade and ElizaBash street festival,” she wrote.
“It was the Elizabeth Chamber’s honor to take on the Stampede Parade for the first time,” Martin wrote. “We plan to grow the parade in entries … We were honored to be a part of this community tradition, a large part of continuing traditions of the Western way of life,” she went on. “Several of us associated with the Elizabeth Chamber were also involved in volunteering at the Elizabeth Stampede throughout the weekend, rounding out our commitment to partnering with other local organizations to bring quality events to the community.”
After cheering on floats and gathering up piles of candy, parade-goers took a short walk to Main Street, which was packed with vendors selling snacks, flowers, cowboy hats, and so much more. Elizabeth Mayor Angela Ternus greeted people with a smile at the Town of Elizabeth booth. Several community organizations turned out, including Elbert County 4-H, the Elbert County Sheriff’s Office and the Elizabeth High School POMS team.
Ahead of this year’s Elizabeth Stampede Rodeo, the Town of Elizabeth released an oral history about the event through the “eyes of three pioneering couples who dedicated decades to the event: Norm and Linda Almquist, Bill and Linda Snead, and Guy and Carol Williams.” The interview, online at historicelizabethco.org/oralhistory, follows the rodeo’s unofficial beginnings in the early 1950s to today.
“What began with just 32 volunteers has grown into a major regional attraction that maintains its community roots while offering professional-caliber entertainment. The pioneers recall building the original arena by hand, digging post holes after work, and creating a gathering place for the rural ranching families of Elbert County,” reads the description.
Visit Historic Elizabeth Colorado at historicelizabethco.org/index to learn more.
The first annual Elizabeth Stampede Rodeo was held in 1966. A PRCA-sanctioned rodeo since 1988, the Stampede is one of the best regional rodeos within the Mountain States Circuit of 71 rodeos throughout Colorado and Wyoming. For more information, visit elizabethstampede.com.