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Stampede is back on schedule
Corn Palace Stampede Rodeo is set for 50th annual event after 2020 cancellation
BY RYAN DEAL
Mitchell Republic
The 50th annual Corn Palace Stampede Rodeo is back on schedule.
One year after COVID19 wiped out Mitchell’s annual four-day event, the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Associationsanctioned rodeo is back.
“We’re very excited,” said Jim Miskimins, who is president of Corn Palace Stampede Rodeo, Inc. “One of the biggest disappointments a year ago was the fact that we were gearing up to celebrate our 50th anniversary. So if there was any after effect that stung, it was the fact that we felt like we missed out on our chance to have our biggest celebration ever.”
After serving as a summer staple in Mitchell for 49 straight years, the 2020 event fell victim to the coronavirus, leading to a decision by the board of directors to cancel the rodeo for the first time since its inception in 1971.
Miskimins said they were disappointed with the final decision, but felt confident they made the proper call to cancel the event.
“We also didn’t want to put the public at risk, not knowing what to expect during those early days,” Miskimins said. “So once we made the decision we were pretty comfortable that it was the right one for our event and our community at that time.”
After the one-year hiatus, the four-day rodeo is set for July 15-18 at Horseman’s Sports Arena. The event regularly attracts thousands of rodeo fans from across the United States each year.
The rodeo’s contestants will participate in bareback riding, calf roping, saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, team roping, barrel racing and bull riding. In addition to the rodeo contests, there is western music, a rodeo queen competition, parade chili cook-off, rodeo mixer, golf tournament and mutton bustin’ for the children.
New to this year’s lineup is the Xtreme Bull Riding at 8 p.m. Thursday, July 15. The Mustang Seeds-sponsored event normally takes place during Dakotafest in August. But the rodeo committee scheduled it to kick off the Corn Palace Stampede, with regular rodeo action taking place Friday-through-Sunday.
“It’s going to not only hopefully provide more fans to attend the bull riding, but give all the fans a little variety during rodeo week,” Miskimins said. “Where if they do like bull riding in particular, will get a good dose of it on Thursday and then be able to see all of the seven events that are professional rodeo events Friday-throughSunday.”
The rodeo committee posted $10,000 in added money for Thursday’s bull riding, while they added $5,000 to the purse per event for the regular rodeo. For the team roping, the committee added $4,000 to the headers purse and $4,000 to the heelers purse.
The total payout for the three-day rodeo is $33,000 and it’s in the middle of a busy stretch of rodeos around the country and region. The Burke Stampede Rodeo will be a PRCA-sanctioned event for the first time in 2021, providing another draw for cowboys coming through South Dakota and potentially allowing participants to hit up both Mitchell and Burke on the same weekend.
Onida-based Sutton Rodeo has provided the bucking stock for the event since its inception and will again this year.
Cowboys wait back behind the chutes as the sun goes down at the 2019 Corn Palace Stampede Rodeo.
Matt Gade / Republic
The mutton busting event, for children ages 4 to 6, is among the favorite entertainment annually at the Corn Palace Stampede Rodeo.
Matt Gade / Republic
