Clarendon welcomes NIRA rodeo Oct. 25-27

Get your cowboy hats and boots and get ready for the Clarendon College Stampede this week as CC welcomes more than 400 contestants to its NIRA rodeo.

With contestants from 16 colleges and universities in the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association involved, qualifying events will be held all day Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, October 25-27, with nightly performances being held at 7 p.m. each evening.

Tickets for evening performance are $5 in advance from either Cornell’s Country Store or the Enterprise and will be $8 at the gate. All activities will be held under the roof of the CC Livestock & Equine Center.

Activities will include bull riding, barrel racing, bareback riding, saddlebronc riding, and more.

First year rodeo coach Cody Heck and nearly the entire staff at Clarendon College have been working for weeks to make sure the event comes off without a hitch.

Local and area sponsors have also lined up to support what promises to be one of the most exciting rodeos the town has seen in the last few years.

This region’s NIRA rodeo has traditionally rotated locations between Canyon and Perryton, but this year Clarendon has been given the opportunity to host the event. Heck says he looks forward to putting on a successful rodeo in front of his students’ peers and wants to see the rodeo do well on the local level by boosting local businesses.

“This event will really boost our community and bring money to our town,” Heck said. “It will also provide our students an opportunity to interact with the community.”

Local cowboys can also get in on the action by participating in the Open Double Mugging held each night. Just call Heck to sign up in advance at 806-874-4844.

If successful, Stampede supporters say the NIRA rodeo will return to Clarendon in two years, and there is a possibility that it could be held here annually at some point in the future.

The college is anticipating an attendance of about 1,000 to 1,200 over the three days.

Parking will be available near the arena, and Clarendon College will also be running buses from the parking lot in front of the Instructional Center.

For more information or to sponsor the event, call Heck at 806-874-4844 or Ashlee Estlack at 806-874-4808.