story by Lindsay Whelchel
Salem Stampede Rodeo in Salem, VA is celebrating 50 years of rodeo this year. “What you have to do to stay that long and keep the crowds coming, you’ve got to make every year better than the previous year,” said the rodeo’s producer and longtime legend in the IPRA, Bobby Rowe.
The Salem Stampede was not only voted an IPRA Top-Indoor Rodeo of the Year in 2014, it’s also won the distinction of No. 1 event for the Salem Civic Center multiple times, an honor that was earned against stiff competition, from concerts to other sporting events.
The Salem Stampede began in 1968 and has been a part of families’ lives over the years, Bobby said.
“We’ve got people that were there in 1968, and they were there in 2015 too. We’d announce birthdays. We’d announce engagements, and then a couple years later ‘so and so up there they’ve got them a baby,’ and it seemed like no time we’d be announcing an engagement, which would be the baby from 20 years ago.”
The event is held in January just before the finals and is a prime jumpstart on new-season earnings for International Professional Rodeo Association contestants. Bobby and his crew are hard at work planning the 50th anniversary for this January, 6-8 2017.
“Mark it on your calendar, if you want to see an extravaganza you need to be there, because it’s going to be wild,” Bobby enthused.
The event takes place Jan. 6-8, 2017 For more information visit: http://www.salemciviccenter.com/
