Whitney Hodgin
Dodge City Globe
Out with the old and in with the new, lifetime-guaranteed grandstand at Roundup Rodeo Arena!
The
old wooden grandstand was completely replaced with aluminum for the safety of all rodeo fans, Dodge City Roundup Rodeo President Steve Deges said.
The project cost $260,000.
“We raised over $100,000 but we have a long way to go,” he said. “It would have been difficult without the city’s $60,000 matching grant (from the transient guest tax.)
This is a 47-year-old facility so we’re constantly making changes and improvements to make it more usable.”
Another massive safety improvement was the $85,000 initiative Victory Electric undertook last year to bury all the power lines previously strung above the crowd and contestants, Roundup Treasurer Teresa Martin told the Globe.
She and Cherry Deges finished applying coarse-grit safety tape to every staircase in the 5,200-seat arena last weekend in anticipation of Dodge City Days. Every row is also affixed with new, easy-to-read labels to help rodeo fans find their way.
“We are very grateful for our partnership with them,” she said. “Sunday is Victory Electric night and it was a sell-out crowd in 2023.”
Ticket sales to the PRCA Rodeo (July 30 to Aug. 4) are higher than usual this year, she said.
“We are selling a lot more tickets ahead of time rather than at the box office so get your tickets early and be sure to buy them directly from us or online through our website (
www.dodgecityroundup.org) because there are scammers out there.”
Martin encouraged community members to join the Dodge City Roundup Committee and attend the nonprofit’s meetings at 6:30 p.m. the third Thursday of each month in the Roundup office, 608 S. 14th Ave.
Deges and Martin, together with Secretary Crysta Stella Vice President Jerry Pegelow and Roundup Office Manager Elaine Gall, feel the momentum gaining for Dodge City Days 2024, as well as the arena’s golden anniversary in 2026.
“We would love to see more committee members at rodeo time and all throughout the year,” she said. “There’s a 4-H motto I like to say: Make the best better!’”