In 1992 Shawnee hosted the last of three annual National High School Finals Rodeos. When the NHSFR moved on to the next location in Wyoming, there was a sense of loss at the Expo and in Shawnee. The week of the rodeo did then, and has for decades since that time, been a week of constant hustle and bustle throughout Shawnee and surrounding areas.
You can’t drive down the street or stop for a bite to eat without seeing a contestant or their family. You will most likely recognize them by the large dually trucks they are driving or the western attire they are wearing.
In late March 1993, the Shawnee Civic and Cultural Development Authority approved an amended budget with provisions for the new rodeo, The International Finals Youth Rodeo. The new budget projected a decrease in income from $576,500 to $461,200 due to the late start.
A projected increase in expenses from $352,000 to $390,950 was also presented to the board. The then Heart of Oklahoma Expo Center manager Ken Etchieson said the added expense would cover the cost of saddles, belt buckles, chaps, gear bags, and championship rings.
In a July 8, 1993, article Etchieson said, “The International Youth Finals Rodeo won’t be like last year’s rodeo. It probably won’t be like next year’s either. What it will be like is a new baby – loud, hopefully boisterous, and extremely important to the people close to it.”
The article went on to say Etchieson “is warning people not to expect too much from the IFYR’s first year but to look at its long-range potential. Unlike the NHSFR, which spent three years in Shawnee and moved on to Gillette, WY., the IFYR is here to stay for as long as the people here want it to stay,”
That may be the most crucial quote from all those years ago. Does Shawnee want the IFYR to stay?
In the early days, the Shawnee Chamber of Commerce encouraged businesses to have employees begin wearing western wear to work on the last Friday in June, before the rodeo, up to and through the week of the rodeo. There were the Krazee Days sales in Shawnee the week of the rodeo. Businesses gave employees paid time off from work to volunteer at the rodeo. It was a week-long event supported by the city, the businesses, and the citizens.
It is well known that the rodeo itself doesn’t make money. It does well to cover the costs of hosting the event and having enough to cover the production costs as well as the prize money and gear. However, it is also one of the most significant revenue-producing events for the businesses within the city of Shawnee. That revenue for each of the hotels, restaurants, retail shops, etc., in Shawnee also provides additional sales tax revenue for Shawnee.
Covid shut down the rodeo two years ago, so maybe, just maybe, we are in a rebuilding time. Spectra moved in to manage the Expo, and there were some challenges. For many years, the rodeo seemed to just come together. It was due to many people behind the scenes who had been doing the work for years. Some of those same people are still volunteering their time to keep the event going. Some of those volunteers began as children of previous volunteers and grew up learning the ropes.
Then we bring in an outside group who has supposedly done these events in other parts of the country but not here. Not the way Shawnee does it. It has thrown many off-kilter, including the outsiders. So again, maybe this is a time of rebuilding.
Let’s remember the words of Etchieson that first year, the birth year of the IFYR. It may not be like a new baby. It may be more like a terrible twos toddler, but it is Shawnee’s rodeo. Let’s step up and train the next generation to love it, care for it, grow it and continue to make it something we are proud to call our own.
