Pretty Prairie Rodeo promises professional quality competitions and family entertainment
Kansas’s largest night rodeo is still as popular today as when it started 88 years ago, and according to Julie Graber, the board of director’s secretary, that’s due to several reasons.
“You’ve got small-town hospitality,” Graber said. “Volunteers are welcoming, and it’s a professional sporting event.”
The Pretty Prairie Rodeo is a Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association event (PRCA) held July 17 through 20. According to the PRCA website, “The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association is the largest rodeo organization in the world. It sanctions events in the United States, Canada and Mexico.”
Graber said that the draws to these events are “The rodeo is purely American. It is rooted in the taming of the Wild West, and taking care of livestock. It is fun and unique entertainment. Whether you are from the city or the country, are three years old or 93, everyone can come and enjoy something at the rodeo.”
Graber grew up in Pretty Prairie and has been volunteering ever since she was old enough to ride her pony in the Grand Entry and consistently put stamps on envelopes.
“Basically, all my life,” Graber said.
Graber says that they couldn’t do the rodeo without the volunteers. The population of Pretty Prairie is about 650, and the Pretty Prairie Rodeo has about 325 volunteers.
“It takes a lot to pull it off. We are lucky to have a good community that’s involved,” Graber said.
When asked if there was a specifically popular event, Graber said that there is such a variety of contestants and people who come that there is not one event that stands out above the rest.
There are inflatables for the kids, and the money earned from the inflatables supports the local food bank.
“We have great vendors. Sometimes people just come for the great hamburgers,” Graber said. The income from the rodeo is important for the community.”
Proceeds from the rodeo go back to the community, helping out with funding for schools, the prom, the food bank, the senior center, and more.
Family night is Wednesday and Thursday where kids 12 and under get in free.
Graber said that the rodeo is more than just family entertainment. There are also family legacies. Several of the professional competitors and contractors have local ties to the south-central Kansas area and generational learning. More information is on the Pretty Prairie Rodeo website at https://www.pprodeo.com/personnel
Graber said that the mutton bustin’ event has changed a little bit this year to allow more kids to compete. Mutton busting is an event where children can ride sheep and compete, similar to bronco or bull riding. The local FFA Alumni group is helping kids compete in mutton busting before the rodeo, and the top ten winners from that day get to compete in the rodeo that night.
Attendance for the rodeo is about 4,600, and Friday and Saturday have been a sold-out crowd for the last couple of years. Graber says it is best to purchase your tickets early to make sure you can make it in. She warns that ticket scalpers try to sell you false tickets, so be sure to visit their website ticket office at https://www.etix.com/ticket/v/14856/booster-club-arena. A-5 Western on Main Street in Hutchinson is also a ticket vendor.
The rodeo will be live-streamed on the Cowboy Plus Channel app, https://www.cowboychannelplus.com/watch
The Pretty Prairie Rodeo is about a 30-minute drive from Hutchinson and is “guaranteed to be great entertainment,” Graber said. The dance after the rodeo is free with a ticket.
For more information about the Pretty Prairie Rodeo and to purchase tickets, visit
https://www.pprodeo.com/
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