Kittitas County is a quiet place to explore. Its farms of waving wheat, ranches, wind turbines, and a petrified forest maintain an aura of peacefulness. Even the town of Ellensburg is fairly quiet -  except on Labor Day weekend, when it has come alive for the last 101 years of the Ellensburg Rodeo and the Kittitas County Fair. And there is no doubt that for the 6 days of the Rodeo and 5 days of the Fair, there is nothing quiet in this part of Ellensburg.

What seems to have originated in the Wild West, including Wild Bill Hickock (whose name was really William F. Cody), today’s rodeos actually grew out of a sport in Spain. Spanish ranchers and their ranch hands engaged in cattle wrangling, bull fighting, and bull wrangling in the 1600’s. In the first two decades of the 1900’s the rodeos began developing as we know them today.  Tillie Baldwin, became the first female champion trick and race-rider in 1913.

Although Ellensburg’s rodeo was the first to gain national significance and is now in the United States top 10 rodeos, many smaller events took place in  our state before the Ellensburg Rodeo’s 1923 debut. One of the earliest was in Ritzville in 1890, followed by Cheney in 1895, the Golden Potlatch festival in Seattle and the Toppenish round-up in 1912 were a few that preceded the Ellensburg Rodeo, and they continue to this day.

There are many reasons that people love going to rodeos. They can be thrilling and exciting with the unpredictability of the animals, the rider, and even the environment. As skilled as the cowboy may be, the animal may not be in the mood to play nice. It’s clear that many of the attendees are enjoying the western culture. The cowboy/cowgirl hats and boots, the music, the parade, and the general atmosphere all attest to that festivity. And rodeos are family events, especially with its connection with the Fair. However, there were many children and families throughout the arena seats.

Our day started just after 10:00 when the Fair opened. I enjoyed exploring the cute rabbits and chickens, and watching the children of all ages walk their cows or pigs around their fenced-in areas and displaying their animals’ response to commands. There were multiple barns with a variety of animals that you would see at most farms. For every type of animal were contests for 4F, FFA, and Grange members to learn about and display their accomplishments. Although there were blue, red, and yellow ribbons for the winners,, everyone received a ribbon, and the children were very proud of themselves. I give those kids a lot of credit – trying to train a cow that weighs tons more than they do to follow directions. These youngsters are seen as the backbone of the future of agriculture.

The barn where home goods were displayed was one of my favorites. It’s where prepared food, textiles, photographs and paintings were on display. Unfortunately, none of the food products were intentionally edible.  Pies, cookies, canned fruits and vegetables, had been on display for several days by the time we saw them.  Clothing of all types were exhibited– aprons, sweaters, skirts, pants and tops, and more. You can really see the detail on many of these items – they take real talent.

The fair had food stalls of all kinds - a real treat for sugar lovers. The best I found for my own lunch was falafel, which was not bad.  I won’t say whom, but one member of our group purchased enough fried oreos for each of us to have one.  And I must admit – they were delicious.  As in most county fairs, there were the usual rides – a merry-go-round for the toddlers, a ferris wheel, and others such as “Freefall” which was exactly like its name suggests, and promoted an extreme level of fear in me, just looking at it.

Our tickets were for the 3-hour Saturday afternoon rodeo session which gave us plenty of time at the fair and was just the right amount of time at the rodeo. Opening the event was a parade of Yakima Nation members riding horses down Craig Hill and into the stadium as its official start. They  represent the tribe’s history of traveling through the valley and living there before the settlers arrive.   I found that to be very meaningful.

There are seven sanctioned events by the PRCA (Professional Rodeo Cowboy’s Association) that appear at most rodeos..

o   Bronc riding – with and without saddles – the riders stay on their bucking horse as long as possible.

o   Tie-down roping – the cowboy ropes a running calf around the neck with a lariat, then gets off his horse, throws the calf to the ground and ties three of its feet together.  Breakaway roping is similar to tie-down roping without throwing and tying the calf.

o   Steer wrestling – also called “bulldogging” and the most physically dangerous event. The rider jumps off his horse onto a steer and wrestles it to the ground by grabbing it by the horns. 

o   Team roping – two ropers capture and restrain a full-grown steer, and one horse and rider lassos the running steer’s horns and the other horse and rider lassos the steer’s two hind legs.

o   Bull riding – cowboys ride full-grown bulls instead of horses but much more difficult than riding horses.

o   Steer roping – instead of a calf the cowboy must catch and tie down a large steer, first roping the steer around its horns. The horns are wrapped and reinforced with rebar, then the cowboy tosses the rope over the steer’s right hip and brings the steer down to the ground, followed by dismounting and tying any three legs together.

o   Barrel racing –the only exclusively women’s sport where the horse and rider gallop around a cloverleaf pattern without knocking down any of the barrels

What you can’t see very well is behind the gates (called the chutes) where each rider and animal are preparing and waiting for the gates to be swung open by at least 4 gamemen. When the rider gives a signal to the gatemen and the gates are open, the animal escapes into the ring with a rider on its back. We saw many examples of riders falling off within seconds of their release. They are required to stay on the animal for a minimum of 8 seconds. Skilled or lucky, the rider stays on the animal for the required amount of time and completes the required actions.

In between each of these events, there are trick acts where other riders perform trick acts. One of the highlight is the rodeo’s queen riding around the arena performing some of these stunts such as standing on her horse.

A rodeo is one of the West’s iconic and enduring traditions. The contests are derived from the working skills of the American cowboy. Rodeos celebrate the skills and talents of cowboys and to some degree of cowgirls. Adults and children alike enjoy the trilling action and excitement that each event provides.  Along with the Kittitas County Fair,  the Ellensburg rodeo provides a special day for hundreds of people.