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Thermopolis Cowboy
Rendezvous PRCA Rodeo
2027 Dates TBA |
The Future of the
Thermopolis Cowboy Rendezvous PRCA Rodeo
 Many
of you have asked why there was no
Thermopolis Cowboy Rendezvous PRCA Rodeo
this year and, more importantly, what comes
next.
We believe our community deserves an honest
answer.
Why We Didn’t Hold the
Rodeo This Year
Producing a professional rodeo is a major
undertaking. Long before the gates open,
there are significant expenses for PRCA
requirements, livestock and contractors,
personnel, insurance, facilities, equipment,
entertainment, marketing, contestant
support, and countless other pieces that
make a safe, professional event possible.
Like many community events, the Thermopolis
Cowboy Rendezvous PRCA Rodeo has depended
heavily on sponsorships, donations, ticket
sales, volunteers, and community support.
Over time, the cost of producing the rodeo
has continued to increase. This year, we
reached a point where moving forward without
adequate funding would have required taking
a financial risk that could jeopardize the
future of the organization itself.
Rather than put on an event we could not
confidently fund at the level our
contestants, sponsors, spectators, and
community deserve, we made the difficult
decision not to hold the rodeo.
It was not a decision made because we no
longer believe in the rodeo.
It was a decision made because we do.
The Challenge We Face
A rodeo of this caliber cannot be sustained
by ticket sales alone.
The expenses begin months before a single
ticket is sold, and many must be paid
regardless of attendance. At the same time,
businesses and families throughout our
region are facing increasing costs of their
own, making traditional sponsorship dollars
more competitive than ever.
That means the long-term future of the rodeo
requires us to build a stronger and more
sustainable financial foundation.
The Thermopolis Cowboy Rendezvous PRCA Rodeo
is operated by a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
organization. Our goal is not simply to
raise enough money to put on one more rodeo.
Our goal is to create a funding model that
allows this event to return and remain part
of Thermopolis for years to come.
Our Plan Moving Forward
We are working to broaden our fundraising
efforts beyond the traditional sponsorship
model.
That includes pursuing corporate
partnerships, charitable grants and
foundation funding, individual donations,
fundraising events, and new opportunities
for businesses and supporters to become
involved.
We are also working toward building
financial reserves so the organization is
not starting from zero each year. A
sustainable rodeo needs the ability to plan
ahead, secure contractors and services
early, weather unexpected expenses, and make
responsible commitments without relying on
last-minute fundraising.
Every dollar raised helps us move closer to
that goal.
Our fundraising efforts will support the
costs necessary to produce the rodeo,
strengthen the nonprofit organization behind
it, and help create the financial stability
needed to bring the Thermopolis Cowboy
Rendezvous PRCA Rodeo back.
This Is About More Than
Two Nights of Rodeo
Rodeo is part of the history and identity of
Wyoming.
For Thermopolis, this event is also an
opportunity to bring contestants, families,
spectators, and visitors into our
community—people who stay in our hotels, eat
in our restaurants, shop in our businesses,
buy fuel, and experience what Thermopolis
has to offer.
But its value goes beyond economics.
It is about preserving western heritage. It
is about giving families a place to gather.
It is about creating traditions that our
children can grow up with and someday bring
their own children back to.
When an event like this disappears, bringing
it back becomes increasingly difficult.
That is why the work we do now matters.
Help Us Bring the Rodeo
Back
We aren’t asking our community simply to
fund another event.
We’re asking people who believe that
professional rodeo belongs in Thermopolis to
help us build something sustainable.
Whether that support comes through a
corporate partnership, a grant, a business
sponsorship, an individual contribution,
volunteering, attending a fundraiser, or
simply helping us spread the word, it moves
us one step closer.
Our goal is clear:
Bring the Thermopolis Cowboy Rendezvous
PRCA Rodeo back stronger, financially
sustainable, and positioned to continue for
generations.
We are grateful to every sponsor, volunteer,
contestant, contractor, business, fan, and
community member who has supported this
rodeo.
This year may have been quiet in the arena.
But the story of the Thermopolis Cowboy
Rendezvous PRCA Rodeo isn’t over.
We’re working on the comeback.
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thermopolisprca@gmail.com
The Thermopolis Rendezvous Rodeo Association
is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit corporation, with the
proceeds from the rodeo offering financial
support to cancer patients through our Tough
Enough To Wear Pink campaign.
Visit us on
Facebook.
Website creation made possible with assistance from Hot Springs Travel & Tourism
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