"And rodeo kind of emphasizes family and God and country and so I think that is a very strong part of life and that it should be emphasized and kept alive."”

Marissa Mansingh, 2020 Lost Dutchman Days Rodeo queen

By Richard Dyer
Twitter: @RHDyer

If it’s wintertime, then it’s professional-rodeo time in Apache Junction and Queen Creek, where athletes ride horses and bulls, rope cattle and compete for the best time in barrel racing.

Funds raised from ticket sales and entry charges go to charitable organizations holding the multi-day events. Sales taxes are collected for the municipalities when competitors stay at the region’s hotels and the athletes and people attending the performances purchase gas, eat at restaurants and shop at local stores.

And an added benefit is that the rodeos draw in outside visitors who can see what the communities offer, according to economic development officials.

The Grand Canyon Pro Rodeo Association-sanctioned 56th annual Lost Dutchman Days Rodeo is Feb. 28-March 1 at the Apache Junction Rodeo Grounds, 1590 E. Lost Dutchman Blvd. The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association-sanctioned 10th annual Roots N’ Boots Queen Creek is March 12-15 at Horseshoe Park and Equestrian Center, 20464 E. Riggs Road in Queen Creek. Go to lostdutchmandays.org or rootsnboots.org.

Family, God and country

Rodeo is a competition among men and women using the same skills as the classic American cowboy. Its roots are from ranch hands who made wagers with the hands from neighboring ranches as to who best could rope and ride. From that, the horses got more rank, riding steers grew to bull riding and so on, and the American-born sport of rodeo still entertains many as the same scenario holds, “Who can best ride and rope?”

Rodeo is a tradition and a way for people to learn about animals, Ashley George, 16, a student at Benjamin Franklin High School in Queen Creek, said. She was chosen as 2020 Lost Dutchman Days senior teen queen.

“It’s important to keep rodeo around because it’s a tradition. It’s a sport that people love --- a sport where people get to not only work with the animals but do ranch work that they did way back when and compete again for it. It’s also a great attraction and attention-drawer for people who don’t know anything about horses or animals to be able to learn as well,” she said.

Competitors learn needed life skills, Marissa Mansingh, 17, a student at Casteel High School, said. The resident of Queen Creek was recently selected 2020 Lost Dutchman Days Rodeo queen.

“I think that they have really good morals and a really good community and it can teach you a lot of good things --- definitely a lot of life skills, like how to take care of yourself and how to take care of an animal; money management like entry fees and stuff like that,” she said.

“And rodeo kind of emphasizes family and God and country and so I think that is a very strong part of life and that it should be emphasized and kept alive,” Ms. Mansingh said.

Others who ride horses say rodeo is important because of its western roots, the equestrian lifestyle and it being a family event.

“It’s a real magical society --- how everyone works together as one,” Tru Hall, 14, of San Tan Valley, who attends Casteel High School in Queen Creek, said.

“It’s like a Western heritage --- a fun family event,” Jaelee Mernaugh, 13, a student at Cooley Middle School in Gilbert, said. She was chosen as 2020 Lost Dutchman Days junior teen queen.

“Rodeo is helping to introduce more people to horses and just the lifestyle and that maybe they could become involved in it too and just have a good time with their kids and their family,” Brynn Reidhead, 13, of Val Vista Lakes in Gilbert, a student at Highland Junior High School, said.

7 classic events

Both the Apache Junction and Queen Creek rodeos have seven classic events --- saddle bronc, bareback, bulls, barrel racing, team roping, calf roping and steer wrestling.

A variation on calf roping --- called breakaway, where the calf is roped but not thrown and tied --- is Ms. Mansingh’s favorite rodeo competition to watch.

“Breakaway, because it’s fast and simple. It looks like a lot of fun. I do barrels right now,” she said of barrel racing.

Ms. George also prefers to watch breakaway competitions.

“I think my favorite rodeo event would have to be breakaway because not only is it a girl and horse trying to work the street, but she’s also doing roping, which a lot of people think girls can’t do but really they can,” she said.

“I just do queening and drill right now. I want to get into barrel racing and team roping in the future though,” she said.

Ms. Mernaugh most enjoys watching barrel racing.

“Because I like doing it and it’s a lot of fun watching cowgirls run as fast as they can,” she said.

Ms. Reidhead likes to barrel race and hopes to compete in the future.

“I feel like it’s very fast and fun and once you get the hang of it, it’s really just overall a fun experience,” she said.

Her favorite rodeo event to watch is team roping.

“I think it’s real interesting to see them catch the rough stock,” she said.

Ms. Hall’s favorite rodeo competition also is barrel racing.

“Barrel racing, because of like the speeds and like how you turn a barrel at a quick speed,” she said.

Economics of rodeo

Thousands of people are expected to pack the stands at the Grand Canyon Pro Rodeo-sanctioned Lost Dutchman Days rodeo in Apache Junction and the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association-sanctioned Roots N’ Boots rodeo in Queen Creek.

Lost Dutchman Days is hosted by the nonprofit Superstition Mountain Promotional Corp. and Apache Junction Mounted Rangers. The Apache Junction Rodeo Grounds arena, grandstands, separate restrooms facility and fenced-in Event Center, owned by the City of Apache Junction, is on Bureau of Land Management land. All profits from the rodeo and Event Center are distributed to youth-serving organizations in the community. In doing so, the Lost Dutchman Days volunteers help fulfill their purpose of “Putting smiles on kids’ faces.”

Since 1994, the Lost Dutchman Days rodeo has donated $1,363,988 back to the community to nonprofit organizations, Lost Dutchman Days committee volunteer Krysta Paffrath said.

Funding goes to organizations such as 4-H, Apache Junction Little League, Apache Junction High School Booster Club, boys and girls club, Eagles, Superstition Mountain Rotary Club, Southwest Arizona Sisters Inc., Superstition Mountain Promotional Corp. and the Apache Junction Mounted Rangers, she said.

Roots N’ Boots is hosted by the Friends of Horseshoe Park, a 501(c)3 not-for- profit dedicated to supporting Horseshoe Park and Equestrian Centre and fostering the rural heritage of Queen Creek. HPEC has five arenas, one which is covered. Money raised by the Friends of Horseshoe Park goes back into Horseshoe Park.

“Events that occur at the park, the income the park receives from those events offsets --- pays for --- the operations and maintenance of the site. So the more and bigger events that come to the park, the less the town pays to run the park,” Jon Wooten, president of the nonprofit Friends of Horseshoe Park, said.

Friends of Horseshoe Park paid for an arena cover and for undergrounding utilities at Horseshoe Park and Equestrian Center with funds raised by the rodeo, he said.

“All of the profit goes to the Friends of Horseshoe Park and our charter is to support that facility. For instance, we bought the cover over arena 3 through our profits and donations from outside and we just paid to complete the wiring under that arena out of Roots N’ Boots profits. So those are the kinds of things that we do at the park,” he said.

In addition to money being donated to children’s charities in and around Apache Junction and for maintaining and upgrading the Queen Creek facility, sales taxes are paid to the municipalities.

“The large major events that go on at the park primarily bring outside money to town through restaurants, gas stations, eventually a hotel,” Mr. Wooten said. “That puts money into the businesses in town through bringing that outside money in,” he said.

“Horses are not cheap... You need discretionary income, typically, to be hauling your horses around and competing, which is the primary type of event that goes on at Horseshoe Park. So, gas stations, restaurants, dry cleaners, hardware stores --- all of the usual places that you visit when you’re traveling --- benefit from that outside money coming to Horseshoe Park events. The town clearly benefits through a sales tax when you’re spending money in town. It’s not just the business; the town benefits as well,” Mr. Wooten said.

Doreen Cott, the Town of Queen Creek’s economic development director, said the economic impact of western events varies.

“Local events typically do not have as large of an economic impact as events that require stalls --- stall rental revenue. Due to the layout of the venue, Horseshoe Park and Equestrian Centre is fortunate to accommodate both major events and local events, using all four arenas,” she said.

“Roots N’ Boots is the largest spectator event at HPEC. During the three-day event, the committee anticipates 22,000 people will visit HPEC this year, bringing a large number of people from outside Queen Creek. Additionally, competitors and contract personnel stay at hotels within the region. Attendees purchase gas, dine at our restaurants and shop at our stores, which helps drive sales tax dollars into the community. Local sponsors advertise at the event and have gained customers or enhanced relationships,” she said.

“Roots N Boots is a great community event that continues to have a positive impact on Queen Creek and draws a significant number of outside visitors,” Ms. Cott said.

Janine Solley, Apache Junction economic development director, said people attending the Lost Dutchman Days rodeo and other activities spend money on goods and services, which in turn provides sales taxes that benefit the municipality.

“The Lost Dutchman Days Rodeo and other signature events are a great opportunity for the City of Apache Junction to showcase our beautiful city and surrounding area,” she said.

“They bring visitors to the community that while here interact with our local organizations, businesses and residents. Every visitor gives us a new opportunity to make a great impression that we hope may someday inspire someone to consider becoming a resident or opening a business here. And the economic boost of visitor spending when in the area is also very important to our local businesses and has a positive impact on sales taxes collected that provide city services,” Ms. Solley said.

Other equestrian events

In addition to the rodeos, other equestrian activities are held at the Apache Junction and Queen Creek facilities or locally, such as at P&M Arena, 11404 E. Brown Road in Mesa. It is just over the Pinal/Maricopa county line from Apache Junction with access to miles of public land trails.

The nonprofit, volunteer-run facility has a mission of promoting and protecting the equestrian way of life in the community, according to pmarena.com.

Ranch sorting, calf roping, barrel racing and trail rides are held, along with gymkhanas for competitions,

Cheyenne Swart, 14, of Apache Junction, is the 2019 P&M Arena Arizona Flag Carrier.

“I enjoyed it... I knew all of the girls who were trying out so we all got the positions so it was very fun,” she said.

She practiced sorting cattle while at P&M, she said.

“I do gymkhanas. I won the 2019 P&M Arena 11-14 Gymkhana Champion, and also won 2018,” Ms. Swart, a student at Arizona Agribusiness and Equine Center Red Mountain, a charter school in Mesa, said.

Rodeos are important and a tradition, she said.

“It kind of joins the equine community to one,” Ms. Swart said. “It’s important just keeping the tradition going,” she said.

“It’s such an important part of the history of the community,” her mother, Michele Swart, said.

Richard Dyer
Managing Editor | East Valley
@RHDyer

rdyer@iniusa.org

Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia, Inc.. USA, since 1987. Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions. He also is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows