By Pauline Masson –
It is easy to say the 2023 Iron Horse Rodeo was the most successful since Outlaw Rodeo Productions brought its rodeo to Pacific in 2013. Since then Pacific has capped off Outlaw Rodeo’s annual season of approximately 15 rodeos a year in late September or early October.
The key claim that this year’s rodeo was the best was that total revenue of $81,000 was the largest ever. But it should have been the most successful. The weather was good. The horse arena was in top form. The Pacific Partnersip had rounded up a stellar list of vendors and sponsors. A newly fenced gate area chanelled arrivals through easy flowinng ticket lines. And Pacific officials were on hand to sell tickets and hand out wrist bands.
“We could have used more seating,” City Administrator Harold Selby said. “But even with more seating, I think we’d still have a standing crowd.”
It was Selby, then city administrator, in 2013, and former Mayor Herb Adams, who responded to Kim Barfield, city clerk and equestrian enthusiast and Richard Adams, former code enforcement officer and member of a regional equestrian search and rescue team, who lobbied to have a rodeo in Pacific.
From the outset, Pacific’s Iron Horse Rodeo has been a magnet for the “we all wanted to grow up to be cowboys” crowd, ropers and riders, hometown boosters, and folks who just like a family night out.
Richard Adams is credited with naming Pacific’s event, the Iron Horse Rodeo. He also organized the rodeo, the first couple of years, getting the park and equestrian arena in shape, working with Outlaw Rodeo Productions to prepare pens for the animals, making sure there was lighting and sound for the announcers to keep the fans informed and motivated.
The Pacific area is unique in Missouri as competitive level ropers and riders go. The area has a large number of cowboy/cowgirl families, assuring that the Iron Horse Rodeo always draws a good number of steer wrestlers, calf ropers and barrel racers.
In 2017 after local cowboys Tim Kraus and Isaiah Garn worked for days to prepare the equestrian arena for that year’s rodeo, The Missouri Rodeo Cowboy Association (MRCA) named the Pacific’s Iron Horse Rodeo the “Most Improved Rodeo Grounds” for the 2017.
Sometimes attendees got a bonus. In 2013, following his bronc ride on the opening night on Oct. 11, hometown cowboy Brendon Venhaus sent squeels and cheers through the crowd when he asked that his girl friend Stacy Apke to come onto the field, got down on knee and handed her an engagement ring.
In spite of torential rains in 2014, that pelted revenue down to $9,470, it was all open skies after that.
In 2015, the year Pacific Partnership entered into an agreenent with the city to manage the vendor and sponsor section of the rodeo, with Loyd Harris as the lead wrangler, revenue rose to $25,310 and reached $37,200 by 2019.
In 2017, Stephen Flannery III, Partnership president introduced a new level of vocal support by sending a resounding “Yee Haw” reverberating across the stands to signal the first rider through the starter gate.
This year, 2023, had another reason to produce record revenue. Local business firm Klance Staging provided bleacher seating for an additional 2,000 fans and installed fencing around the vendor area and entry, which helped fan entry.
City Administrator Selby, his wife Becky, collector Diana Simmons and city clerk Kim Barfield sold tickets. Mayor Heather Filley, and aldermen James Cleeve, Scott Lesh and Debbie Kelley collected tickets and distributed arm bands.
“It worked pretty smoothly,” Selby said.”The line moved right along.”
At the end of each night, Cleeve took all the tickets home, sorted them by category and tallied the number of fans. On Friday the total of 2,740 in attendance included 2,221 adults, 428 children and 73 free tickets. On Saturday total attendance of 3,190 included 2,633 adults, 484 children and 73 free.
“It was really interesting that Cleeve did that,” Selby said. “Before we knew the total in attendance but never knew the breakdown on adults and kids and on paid and free.”
The Iron Horse Rodeo turned out to be one of the most popular annual events in the city’s array of outdoor events, such as the downtown car show, music shows on the plaza, Monsterfest, which takes place later this month and Christmas on the Plaza.
For returning city administrator, Selby, the rodeo had reached unexpected levels of sophistication.
“It takes a lot more people to put it on now than it did that first year,” Selby said.
