Junior rodeo set for Saturday, Sunday at the fairgrounds

As has become somewhat of a Valley tradition for the first weekend of August, the Douglas County Junior Rodeo will run Saturday and Sunday at the Douglas County Fairgrounds.

Tradition, it would seem, has become the very purpose of the rodeo.

"The main thing we're trying to do now is to get the community to come out and watch," John Raper, who serves on the rodeo board, said. "Carson Valley isn't made up of ranching families and horse people as much as it used to be.

"It's a more diverse community now, with a lot of new people. We want them to be able to come out and see what it's all about."

The junior rodeo is part of a series of about 10 similar events throughout Northern Nevada during the summer. Other host sites include Smith Valley, Elko, Fernley, Dayton, Winnemucca, Lovelock, Fallon, and Sparks, to name a few.

"It's unique because the events are run in a very high-quality fashion with the announcing and timing and everything, but it's also very fun and low-kwy for the kids," Cindy Denny, who has been involved with putting on the Douglas rodeo for several years, said. "You end up with a lot of events that the whole family can be involved in, a lot of events that you won't see anywhere else."

Featuring competitors anywhere from infants to 18-year-olds, the Douglas rodeo has become one of the largest in the state.

"We're trying to make this one of the largest junior rodeos in the Western United States," Raper said. "We're really focusing on trying to make it grow.

"Last year, it was the second-largest in Nevada."

Participants under the age of 5 actually run through their events on stick horses, while at 6 and 7 they often compete on ponies before moving up to full-size horses as they get older.

The event is free to attend, and participants are charged a small fee to enter, which goes toward the cost of awards.

"The older kids can win money," Raper said. "Their events have jackpots, so that can be quite a boost for them. We award saddles too, which are worth about $1,400, so that's a pretty good haul."

While registration for the horse events are already closed, Sunday's mutton busting competition will open registration Saturday around lunch for the younger children.

"They pay a $5 entry fee Saturday and they get to ride a sheep on Sunday," Raper said."

Putting on the rodeo comes at a cost of about $12,000 every year, with $9,000 going toward awards and the rest for stock rental fees, and other assorted costs.

"We rely a lot on sponsors from the community to put this on," Raper said. "Our goal each year is to make enough to put on the next year's whole rodeo. Sponsors make that happen."

The junior rodeo also serves as a large fundraiser for Douglas County 4-H.

"They handle the snack bar and the barbecue dance," Raper said. "It's good for them."

Raper and his wife, Joni, began hosting practice sessions at the enclosed arena at the Corley Ranch last summer.

"The kids from around here come out and practice just about every junior rodeo event every week," Raper said. "We do goat tying, sack roping, barrel racing, pole bending and figure 8 every week.

"The little kids practice all the same events, but they do it on stick horses."

He said about half of the kids who come to practice compete in all of the junior rodeos in the area, but some of the others will be competing in their first rodeo this weekend.

Raper said the rodeo is always looking for new sponsors and volunteers.

"If people want to show up and volunteer on Saturday, we'll find a job for them," Raper said. "It doesn't really require specific experience. We just want people who want to help to come out."

The rodeo begins at 8 a.m. each day with a rodeo queen contest at 4 p.m. Saturday.

For more information, call Denny at 691-7098 or 782-0331 or Raper at 721-3248.

-- Joey Crandall can be reached at jcrandall@recordcourier.com or at (775) 782-5121, ext. 212.