Cowtown Pro Rodeo cancelled
Posted on January 17, 2017 by Maple Creek
Bailey Plaiser riding in last year's Cowtown Pro Rodeo. The 2017 rodeo was cancelled because the Cowtown Pro Rodeo Committee will not be able to meet the high costs that come with an event like this. FILE PHOTOMegan Roth
Twitter: @MeganMCNews
mroth@maplecreeknews.com
The downturn in the economy has caused the cancellation of the Cowtown Pro Rodeo for 2017.
Announced Jan. 14 on Facebook, the Cowtown Pro Rodeo Committee will not be holding the three-day event due to the high costs of running an event as large as the Pro Rodeo.
“Cowtown Pro Rodeo as an organization has not folded,” states the committee’s Facebook post on Jan. 15.
The organization relies heavily on the support of the community through donations and sponsorships. With the economic downturn affecting Saskatchewan and the rest of the country, sponsorships have gone “way, way” down, according to committee member Karen Southwood.
“It is very expensive to put on a large event like the Cowtown Pro Rodeo, and unfortunately we have been affected by the downturn,” said Southwood.
Royce Pettyjohn, manager of community and economic development and Main Street Program coordinator, says not-for-profit groups like the rodeo committee help to drive the town’s economy.
“These groups deserve our recognition and support for their work. They impact our community and support us in so many ways,” said Pettyjohn.
Former secretary for the Cowtown Pro Rodeo Committee Terri Mason is “extremely disappointed” by the decision to not hold the rodeo this year.
“The ramifications for the community are huge,” Mason said.
The Cowtown Pro Rodeo draws in tourist from all over the Southwest and even further, many of those spend money at the hotels, restaurants and stores in town.
“Every time there is an event here there will be tourist dollars. That generates and stimulates the local economy,” Pettyjohn said.
For the past few years the Cowtown Pro Rodeo partnered with the Heritage Festival to bring a fuller experience to the town and its visitors.
The Heritage Committee’s immediate thoughts after finding out about the rodeo’s cancellation was the impact on tourist dollars during the summer.
“Unfortunately, the effect of the absence of the Pro Rodeo will be realized by the Maple Creek business owners this summer,” said Mason.
To try and counteract the potential loss, the Heritage Committee met on Jan. 13 to discuss possible options. They came to the decision to hold a two day Heritage Festival on July 21 and 22.
“This is just a stop-gap measure. We will look at it again next year,” said Pettyjohn.
The two-day festival will go ahead, but the committee is currently unsure of the events, look and entertainment during the event.
While the rodeo is a no-go for 2017, Southwood said the committee is still fundraising in the hopes of hosting the event next year.
“We haven’t folded, just postponed the rodeo this year. It will not affect the fundraising we have planned,” Southwood said.
The next fundraiser planned for the Cowtown Pro Rodeo is a comedy event at the Armoury on Feb. 17 with Jimmy the Janitor.
The committee will continue to meet and plan for upcoming years.
“We would like to see the rodeo back again next year,” said Southwood.
Pettyjohn also would like to see the rodeo committee come together and fin the support they need to have the rodeo back for 2018.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.