Payson rodeo becoming joke, embarrassment

The subject of rodeo came up recently, and I was quite critical about what is promoted as a quality event in this town. Someone suggested, “How do you really feel?” so I decided to climb out to the end of the limb and state my opinion.

I fully admit, I am not an old timer in these parts. I arrived in 2002 - an Easterner, Southerner, really, with roots much deeper into NASCAR than rodeo. I quickly adopted Payson as my favorite town, though, and pledged to make it my final resting place. “The world’s oldest continuous rodeo!” seemed to mark the town as something really special - keeping alive the spirit of the Old West. That was a compelling part of the attraction.

I had read just about everything Zane Grey wrote, and lived vicariously through his descriptions of life in the Old West. I admired the simple but brave code which defined the lives of early settlers. Through the magic of Grey’s writing, I rode with courageous men who endured extreme hardship as they rounded up cattle, shot cougars and bears, hacked out a meager but honest living, and had no tolerance for duplicity or ineptitude.

I can only imagine what it must have been like for men like this to come together to demonstrate their great skills and compete for bragging rights as the best cowboy. Duplicity and ineptitude must have been quickly culled out. The best of these men must have truly been a special breed.

With their great skills and fierce independence, they were as revered by me as any of my favorite iconic heroes. I watched all the Grade B cowboy movies as a child and frequently played Cowboys and Indians. For a long time, my most precious possession was a Colt 45 six-shooter replica which held a roll of “caps,“ allowing me to shoot innumerable times at bad guys. When not firing, this pistol was held in a simulated leather holster with simulated rhinestones and tassels. Mounted atop my faithful bicycle, I was a force to be reckoned with.

When I was old enough to read Zane Grey and Louis L’Amour, however, I began to appreciate the real life themes of their stories. The cowboy began to take on a whole different character for me. Outlaws and Indians weren’t the only villains to be fought. Nature and life itself were formidable challenges.

The men who excelled at cowboy life would have been successful in any period of history under any set of circumstances. These men and their marvelous skill are worthy of remembrance. Ropin’ and ridin’ weren’t simply stunts for showing off. They were necessary abilities to be mastered in order to succeed. The character of the cowboy throwing his rope or busting a bronc was as important as his skills.

Coming together once a year was a great occasion for the entire community. “August Doin’s“ was about reunions of family and friends and a celebration of life apart from the harsh conditions endured most of the year. Rodeo was an important part of the festivities, naturally, just as fireworks are a big part of a Fourth of July celebration. It was the overall event, though, which brought the community together.

Over the years, things change. The automobile replaced the horse. Electricity vastly improved the life of rural residents. The telephone brought folks together without so much travel. Slowly, “August Doin’s” lost much of its former glitter. Cowboy life depended less upon physical skills.

This is certainly not to say that these things no longer mattered or had a place. It’s just that they slowly had a priority change. The world became bigger and more complex, compelling or demanding attention to a much wider variety of activities. Instead of having only one outlet for celebration and reunion, there were many, but on a smaller scale.

It didn’t happen all at once, but over time, “August Doin’s” and rodeo became a nostalgic memorial. As each year goes by, it is more and more so. It has become a visit with an old uncle or aunt back at the “Old Home Place,” important mostly for the gesture - showing deferential regard for something or someone.

In this regard, the annual event of “The World’s Oldest Continuous Rodeo” is a nice entertainment and memorial. As a major significant event, however, it has long lost its luster. It’s time that the town stops its pretense that the rodeo, as presently conducted, is a major attraction and a class event.

“August Doin’s” long ago was relegated to the family picture album. It's way past time for the rodeo to join it.

If both events could be honestly portrayed as simply an enjoyable outing with an historical connection as its theme, that would be fitting and attractive - not to mention accurate. Portraying the rodeo as a top notch significant event, however, has become the town joke and somewhat of an embarrassment.

It is more and more simply a nice local entertainment - way over-hyped and taken way too seriously by an increasingly smaller group of sponsors. To continue the hype will relegate the rodeo to a status resembling a worn out canvas advertising some exotic aberration on the back row of a carnival. It is a meager imitation of a once revered event.

It hasn’t become a caricature yet. There is actually some good entertainment, and a fair amount of amateur skill displayed. It just isn’t anything like the real thing, and it doesn‘t promise to get any better. It’s a far cry from the days when a man could take pride in and deserve the title of Champion Cowboy.

Including rodeo in a week-long series of events celebrating the “old days” much like “August Doins’” would be much more appropriate and could result in much wider support. There are very few visitors who come here just to see the rodeo. A wider variety of events, perhaps culminating in a rodeo, might generate a good bit more interest.

Actually, if the local event could be teamed with the county fair it might easily become a well attended attraction by locals and draw more interest from outside communities.

Street dances, booths displaying local crafts and culinary treats, contests and raffles, nightly entertainment by local bands, the Ox Bow, leased by The Chamber of Commerce, open all week serving hot dogs, hamburgers, beer and sodas, a daily roping or trick riding exhibition, fireworks in the park, etc. etc. A great week long celebration is something which would deserve the hype.

Payson, at present, can probably hope to promote one “major” event per year with the possibility of attracting outside interest. It doesn’t seem prudent to stretch resources and divide attractions into small events. History shows that many events are poorly attended at present, and a waning economy doesn’t hold much promise for improvement.

The best way to preserve “The World’s Oldest Continuous Rodeo” and make sure it doesn’t simply end with a whimper is to surround it with other interesting attractions. Bring it into the 21st century and recognize that no amount of hype can ever return it to the good old days

I have a strong feeling that if the old cowboys were given a vote, they would nod in agreement.