It may be eight-times lucky for Deadwood’s Days of ’76 Rodeo

Deadwood’s Days of ’76 Rodeo Nominated for 12th Rodeo of the Year Award
Deadwood rodeo named Small Outdoor Rodeo of the Year four times;Medium Outdoor
Rodeo of the Year seven times by PRCA

DEADWOOD, S.D. (9/26/2011) – It may be eight-times lucky for Deadwood’s Days of ’76 Rodeo. The Days of ’76, one of the Black Hills’ premiere special events for 89 years, has once again been nominated as the PRCA’s Medium Outdoor Rodeo of the Year for 2011. The Days of ’76, with the historic community of Deadwood as its backdrop, has taken home Medium Outdoor Rodeo of the Year honors for seven years in a row, and prior to that, four years of Small Outdoor Rodeo of the Year honors. This year’s awards will be handed out in Las Vegas at the PRCA National Convention in December.

“It’s amazing to just be nominated for a Rodeo of the Year award, let alone win in consecutive years,” said Pat Kinghorn, 2011 Days of ’76 Committee Chairman. “This is truly an honor for our hardworking volunteers, and helps our committee strive to produce an even better rodeo every year.”

Awards are nothing new for this event which is entering its 90th year. The Days of ’76 rodeo won Small Outdoor Rodeo of the Year four consecutive years – 1998-2001 – before being moved into the medium category. A change in designation didn’t hurt the rodeo’s chances, winning top honors in the Medium category in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and again in 2010. Rodeos are nominated by PRCA contract personnel, competitors and other committees. In the medium outdoor rodeo category, there were 131 rodeos, and five were nominated – the Days of ’76 in Deadwood, and rodeos in Estes Park, Colo., Gunnison, Colo., Ogden, Utah and the Wild Bill Hickok Rodeo in Abilene, Kansas.

Cowboys and cowgirls have long considered the Days of ’76 as one of their favorites. Bull riding, calf roping, saddle bronc riding, barrel racing and other rodeo events at the Days of ’76 draw top competitors annually, all vying for a Days of ’76 buckle and for tens of thousands of dollars in prize money.

“The success of this event can be attributed to a combination of community support, the hard work of employees and volunteers, commitments from the City of Deadwood and its Historic Preservation Commission, and the experience that can only be acquired from 89 years of putting on one of the best rodeos in the world,” Kinghorn said.

The 2012 Days of ’76 will be held July 24-28, 2012. For ticket information please call 888-838-BULL or www.daysof76.com.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Lee Harstad
Deadwood Chamber of Commerce
605-578-1876
lee@deadwood.org